The Scallywags [Hardcover]

David Melling (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2006

The Scallywags are a pack of wolves. When they aren't being lazy and shiftless, they spend the day jumping around and clowning around and getting into all kinds of mischief. They make a lot of noise and throw their food around and make general nuisances of themselves. They annoy all the other animals and show the entire world that they simply don't know how to behave. But after one particularly rowdy episode, the Scallywags learn that if being rowdy means losing your friends, maybe it's time to start practicing some manners. Very funny color illustrations on every page.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Kindergarten-Grade 3—"It's the same old story. Wolves are crusty, lazy, and mean. They howl, they chase, and they make a mess. We know all about big bad wolves and their nasty ways…Don't we?" The Scallywags are so irritating that after they ruin the animals' photo session, the bears, pigs, and sheep, etc., decide not to invite them to do things together anymore. The chastened wolves resolve to learn manners but completely overdo it: they are so changed that their friends do not recognize them—in fact, the animals start to wish they had the old Scallywags back. This hilarious story is accompanied by equally lively and humorous pictures that fill the pages with images worthy of close perusal. Each of the slovenly wolves has a distinct personality, as do the other animals. The spread of them attempting to hide while spying on their friends to learn good behavior is wonderful. The book's format sets the mood well with words scattered over the pages in different sizes to emphasize the fun. A thoroughly delightful romp.—Judith Constantinides, formerly at East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA
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From Booklist

*Starred Review* The animals in the neighborhood are disgusted by the Wolf family, known collectively as the Scallywags. They spoil things with their shenanigans; they throw their food and nibble on napkins; and, yes, they smell. After the wolves are sent packing, they finally take the criticism to heart. When one wolf suggests that they all improve their manners, he is reminded, "We don't got no manners." Yet they make the effort to learn some, and before long, they are so polite and nicely dressed that they aren't recognized when they show up for a meal. At first the other animals are delighted with their "new" friends, but when the wolves admonish the pigs to stop slurping their soup and the geese to quit honking with food in their mouths, the group begins wishing for the Scallywags to return. And soon enough, they do. There's fun on every page here, in the text with its sly asides but especially in the art. Melling turns cartoon-style art, which in lesser hands would seem ordinary, into an art form. There are no generic wolves here; each is individualized, and hilariously so. For instance, as the wolves try to get some "couth," one is shown with curlers in its fur, another is brushing its ears with toothpaste, and still another is pouring tea--into tin cans. Handsomely designed with thick, generously sized pages, the book has the potential to become a real fan favorite. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Barron's Educational Series (October 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764159917
• ISBN-13: 978-0764159916
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 11.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,175,467 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Teaching manners the fun way., August 31, 2007

By 

Mary J. Steimle (Spring Lake NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Scallywags (Hardcover)

My three year old granddaughter loves this book. I bought it to help teach her table manners. The book teaches that bad manners annoy others, and that telling others that they have bad manners is also annoying. The reason that I gave the book 4 stars instead of 5 is that at the end of the book, a full moon comes out and the wolves return to their former behavior. To me this defeated my intent of teaching her good manners, permanently.

The book is beautifully illustrated and a lot of fun. I recommend it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wolves in Training, September 3, 2007

By 

Sandra Dutton "Dear Miss Perfect, A Beast's G... (Boothbay Harbor, Maine) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Scallywags (Hardcover)

Scallywags is one of the funniest picture books I've read, with wonderfully developed characters. Crumbs, Grub, Hairball, Scribble, Knits, YoYo, Earwax, Brooz and Jumble are the Scallywags--a pack of wolves who show up late for the animals' group photograph and are ostracized for their bad behavior. Resolving to learn better manners, the Scallywags go back into town and eavesdrop, one suspended by rope at a window, another disguised as a shrub, others lurking in outlandish places, all learning to be polite. But perhaps they learn too well. At dinner they point out everyone else's imperfections--the pigs who slurp, the geese who honk with their beaks full. This fussiness, everyone decides, is impossible to take. They'd rather have the old wolves back--at least they were fun. Readers will enjoy seeing how things unravel.

It's a manners book, among other things, and if you're of a mind, all sorts of interesting discussions can follow, such as what manners are for, who should have them, the best way to learn them; how, when, and whether someone should be corrected.

5.0 out of 5 stars VERY FUN book great illustrations, January 19, 2011

By 

EvMama - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Scallywags (Hardcover)

VERY fun book, great illustrations. Good message too - don't get so preachy about others manners that you don't enjoy them! VERY highly recommended. Illustrations are fabulous and fun!