Review - The Wolf Will Not Come

The Wolf Will Not Come
by Myriam Ouyessad
illustrated by Ronan Badel
Date: 2019
Publisher: Schiffer Publishing
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 28
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

"Mom, are you sure the wolf will not come?" "Absolutely, my rabbit." "But how can you be so sure?" This clever story disarms childhood bedtime anxieties in an unexpected way. A small rabbit getting ready for bed questions his mother on how she can be so sure that the wolf will not come to their house. Meanwhile, on the opposite page, we follow the progress of the wolf indeed creeping closer and closer to them, foiling the mother's reassurances one by one. In a delightful twist, the rabbit's fears are defused and all ends well. The irresistible drawings and surprise ending put nighttime anxieties in light-hearted perspective.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This book just has me confused. It's a story about a little rabbit who needs constant reassurance that the wolf is not on the way to their apartment in the city. Their mom keeps telling them all the reasons why the wolf couldn't reach them (it would get hit by a car in the city, it can't figure out how to use the elevator, etc.) and eventually just ends the evening with the equivalent of, "Because I said so!"

It's at this point that things really take a turn for the weird. What was, up until that point, a simple picture book about a mother trying to assuage her child's fears becomes utterly confusing. After going to bed, the little rabbit hears a knock at the door. So they run to answer it, excited that it might be the wolf. And it is! The wolf has come for the rabbit's birthday party. The rabbit hugs the wolf and they all have a party.

Sorry, but... I don't get it. Is the rabbit afraid of wolves in the first place? I went back and looked again, and they certainly seem to be. Okay... so why is it happy to see the predator at the door? If, on the other hand, the rabbit family and the wolf are friends (and the book just didn't tell us), the mother's "reassurances" are kind of cruel. Telling her kid that the friendly wolf will probably be hit by a car if he tries to come to the party? What kind of mind game is that?!

The pictures are nothing special. I did like some of the illustrations with the sneaky wolf and some of the city scenes, but the pictures weren't all that memorable for me. I think the head-scratcher of a story will be what I remember most about this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Schiffer Publishing for providing a digital ARC.

Premise: 2/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 2/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 2/5

Overall: 2.33 out of 5