Betsy Who Cried Wolf [Hardcover]

Gail Carson Levine (Author), Scott Nash (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up

On her eighth birthday Betsy takes the Shepherds' Oath and is determined to be the best shepherd in Bray Valley history Any wolf who tries to eat her sheep had better watch out. But Zimmo is no ordinary wolf-he's a hungry wolf -- with a Plan!

In her first picture book, Newbery Honor author Gail Carson Levine puts her own spin on a traditional tale, while Scott Nash brings a comic sensibility to this hilarious retelling. The result will tickle, delight, and even leave readers with a moral or two, or three....

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Best known for spinning new interpretations of classic fairy tales, Levine (Ella Enchanted) here ventures into folktale territory with a perky, girl-centric take on The Boy Who Cried Wolf. On her eighth birthday, Betsy receives a very special gift: the people of Bray Valley entrust her with the care of a flock of sheep. After taking the Shepherd's Oath and arming herself with Mom's pies and a wolf-watching checklist from Shepherd School, Betsy begins her new job on the mountainside. There, Zimmo, a hungry, lonely wolf with a Plan awaits her. In the original tale's tradition, Betsy alarms the local farmers with cries of wolf until they no longer believe her. But in a sweet-natured twist, Betsy wins over the wolf, who becomes her friend and co-shepherd. Despite a text sprinkled with plenty of fun-to-say words and names, not much tension builds, and the friendship forged between Betsy and Zimmo seems abrupt. However, Nash's (Over the Moon; Saturday Night at the Dinosaur Stomp) slightly anthropomorphic sheep always walking on their two hind legs sport natty woolen coiffures and demonstrate a penchant for wisecracks. Hilarious hand-lettered asides (The pie is mightier than the fang; Baaaaaad sheperdess!) give the sheep personality and lend the proceedings a snappy tone. Betsy, clad in skirt, sweatshirt and embroidered jeans, seems to straddle the Old World and the new. Kids may well cheer her courage and can-do spirit. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2-In this amusing retelling of the classic fable, eight-year-old Betsy has just taken the Shepherd's Oath. "She was going to be the best shepherd in Bray Valley history. And any wolf who tried to eat her sheep had better watch out!" However, Zimmo, the last wolf left on the mountain, comes up with a plan. He appears to Betsy, causing her to blow her whistle and seek aid, but then disappears when the farmers arrive, destroying her credibility and sending her back to Shepherd School. When she returns to the job and he tries his ruse again, no farmers come when Betsy calls, but she is determined to defend her flock. When she goes to hurl her plate of shepherd's pie at Zimmo, she suddenly realizes how skinny he is, and gives him the food to eat instead. Grateful, he helps the child rescue some of the sheep that are dangling over a precipice, and eventually he, too, takes the Shepherd's Oath and joins her on the hillside. The irony of the fact that the sheep are being saved from wolves so that they may be eaten by people will probably be lost on the intended audience, but the running commentary on events made by the sarcastic and silly sheep will not. Nash's cartoonlike illustrations, with their clean lines, crisp colors, and folk-art touches, add considerably to the story. This pleasant addition could generate discussion when paired with the original tale.
Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers; 1st edition (May 28, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060287632
• ISBN-13: 978-0060287634
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 10.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,564,925 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gail Carson Levine grew up in New York City and has been writing all her life. Her first book for children, Ella Enchanted, was a 1998 Newbery Honor Book. Levine's other books include Dave At Night, an ALA Notable Book and Best Book for Young Adults; The Wish; The Two Princesses of Bamarre; and her Princess Tales books: The Princess Test, The Fairy's Mistake, Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep, Cinderellis and the Glass Hill, For Biddle's Sake and The Fairy's Return. She is also the author of the picture book Betsy Who Cried Wolf, illustrated by Scott Nash. Gail, her husband, David, and their Airedale, Baxter, live in a two-hundred-year-old farmhouse in the Hudson River Valley.

In Her Own Words..."I grew up in New York City. In elementary school I was a charter member of the Scribble Scrabble Club, and in high school my poems were published in an anthology of student poetry. I didn't want to be a writer. First I wanted to act and then I wanted to be a painter like my big sister. In college, I was a Philosophy major, and my prose style was very dry and dull! My interest in the theater led me to my first writing experience as an adult. My husband David wrote the music and lyrics and I wrote the book for a children's musical, Spacenapped that was produced by a neighborhood theater in Brooklyn.

"And my painting brought me to writing for children in earnest. I took a class in writing and illustrating children's books and found that I was much more interested in the writing than in the illustrating.

"Most of my job life has had to do with welfare, first helping people find work and then as an administrator. The earlier experience was more direct and satisfying, and I enjoy thinking that a bunch of people somewhere are doing better today than they might have done if not for me."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fractured Folktale Fun....., September 13, 2002

By 

Roz Levine - See all my reviews

This review is from: Betsy Who Cried Wolf (Hardcover)

"On her eighth birthday, Betsy took the Shepherds' Oath. She was going to be the best shepherd in Bray Valley history. And any wolf who tried to eat her sheep had better watch out!" Well Zimmo, the last wolf on the mountain, had other ideas. He was very hungry and he had a plan to outwit this new shepherd. The next day, just as Betsy was getting started, Zimmo appeared. Quickly, she blew her whistle and cried wolf, and the townspeople came running. But when they arrived, all they saw was Betsy and the sheep. Zimmo had cleverly disappeared. Betsy got a lecture. Later in the day, the whole episode repeated itself, and this time, Betsy was sent back to Shepherd School for a little refresher course. The next morning, the town decided to give her one last chance. She took the sheep up to the pasture and there was the wolf again. But this time, Betsy takes matters into her own hands..... Gail Carson Levine's comical twist on the old, Boy Who Cried Wolf folktale, stars a feisty and endearing heroine, but the story is a bit too pat and predictable, lacks the drama of the original, and concludes with a silly ending that just doesn't ring true. The real star of this book is illustrator, Scott Nash. His bold, bright, and hilarious, cartoon-like illustrations, complete with witty, sheep asides and thought balloons are engaging, expressive, and filled with eye-catching detail. Perfect for youngsters 4-8, Betsy Who Cried Wolf is not the best of the fractured folktale/fairy tale genre, but it's worth a read, if only for a peek at Nash's wonderful artwork.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Betsy Who Cried Wolf, June 6, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Betsy Who Cried Wolf (Library Binding)

I read the book Betsy who cried wolf its about how Betsy whose a shepherd. There's a wolf that's first her enemy and then when the wolf comes town from the woods when Betsy blows her wolf whistle .she cries wolf and then when the farmer's come the wolf goes back into the woods and hides the next day the wolf comes back down and Betsy cries wolf and less farmers came and said if you cry wolf one more time then send you back to shepherd school. Then the wolf comes again and she cries wolf but no farmers came so the wolf was really hungry and so Betsy gave him some pie and then while Betsy was getting her shirt un pricked from a pricker bush the sheep were going down a mountain there would of died if the wolf didn't save them because the wolf turned good. Then as for thanks she asked him to stay with her.
I liked the book because it was different then other books and most people because people don't like all of the books about one book they like different books about another thing.



The message is if someone needs help then help him or her because Betsy helped the wolf then at the end the wolf helped Betsy.



The vocabulary is just right for kids between 8-10 because I'm 9 and its just right for me.


The conflict is that at first
the wolf is Betsy's enemy then they become friends. Because the wolf kept tricking her and he got her in trouble.


The illustrations are great because they have great details and they're colorful.

The characters are great because they're different then other characters in other books.

I don't think there are any other versions but if there are I would like to read them.

I think the indented audience is for people that have a lot of imagination because they have talking animals and you would have to use your imagination.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious spin on a classic tale..., May 16, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Betsy Who Cried Wolf (Hardcover)

Hands down, this is my daughter's FAVORITE bedtime book. She loves it and demands it every single night. The pace is great, and it's a really fun book to read aloud. Despite having read this book about 36 gazillion times, I still enjoy reading it. The illustrations are wonderful and really make the book.