This is a brilliant story with one of the most important morals. A young boy pretends to be in danger by yelling, “Wolves! Wolves!” After the first couple of times the townspeople come running, but the third time they stop. Unfortunately, when the wolves actually arrive, the boys is left to fend for himself because no one believes him. Lying is never a good strategy to use because then people won’t know when you are telling the truth in serious situations.

Evaluation

I enjoyed this rendition of this classic traditional story. The illustrations were very child-like, and I loved the boy’s changing expression throughout the work. In the beginning he is bored so he picks his nose, he shouts, he screams, he smiles, and he laughs. He is a typical young child trying to have some innocent fun. This is also a great prediction story. The teacher could have the students put their thumbs up if they think the wolves are coming and a thumb down if they think the boy is lying. You may even decide to have a class play. The teacher could split the room up into three teams with five or six people each and they could act out their own version for their classmates to see. Lastly, the moral is very important to teach within the classroom. One should always tell the truth, even if the truth is hard to tell. The teacher may decide to create her own social stories to act out within the classroom that center around the problem of lying. Students can participate in the skits and then discuss what they would do in this situation.

 

  • B.G. Hennessy Author
  • Boris Kulikov Illustrator
  • Simon and Schuster Books for young readers Publisher
  • 2006 Year
Subscribe to Journal