Where's the Big Bad Wolf? [Hardcover]

Eileen Christelow (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 23, 2002 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Whenever there’s trouble on Detective Doggedly’s beat, that low-down, no-good, chicken-chasing, pig-poaching Big Bad Wolf is always the prime suspect. But when the three little pigs’ house is huffed and puffed into a pile of straw and only a sheep named Esmeralda is found at the scene of the crime, Doggedly has a new mystery to solve: Where’s the Big Bad Wolf?
With the help of some wise elderly cows who live in a home across the road, Doggedly sniffs out the clues. But can he catch the culprit before the three little pigs get gobbled up? Here’s a new wrinkle on the classic tale, enlivened by Eileen Christelow’s fast-paced narrative style and her drolly comic illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Christelow (The Great Pig Search) offers more animals who bamboozle slow-witted innocents in this rib-tickling take on the Three Little Pigs. Canine detective Phineas T. Doggedly asserts, "There's only one no-good rascal in this town... the Big Bad Wolf!" So when "a big gust of wind Hufffs and Pufffs," he sets out to round up the usual suspect, who's nowhere to be found. The fact that an odd-looking sheep named Esmerelda happens to be strolling by every time disaster strikes seems odd to the sleuth, but, he says, "I just can't quite put my paw on what it is." Young readers will likely spy the big gray nose sticking out of Esmerelda's white wool long before Phineas does, and will follow the action with relish. Comic-book-style panels alternate with full-bleed spreads as Doggedly's midnight stake-outs fail to produce results. When he finally nabs the wolf ("This no-good, pig-poaching, huffing, puffing, wolf-in-sheep's-clothing is under arrest!") the scoundrel spends a couple of nights in jail before he's back to his usual tricks. The familiar story line allows Christelow to include plenty of details and extra cast members; two elderly cows in bathrobes provide comic running commentary. Both adults and children will enjoy listening to Esmerelda urge the pigs to put down those bricks: "Build a cardboard house. It's so much easier!" Ages 5-8.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-2-A determined Detective Doggedly pursues the elusive BBW (Big Bad Wolf) in a delicious parody of the traditional tale. Three dim-witted and naive pigs, a wolf with a taste for unusual costuming, and three sharp-eyed residents of the nearby "Home for Elderly Cows" create a mystery worthy of the slightly befuddled detective: who is destroying the pigs' houses, when the wolf is currently hospitalized with mysterious flulike symptoms? Doggedly catches the culprit, but one doubts that this "egg-snatching, pie-pinching, chicken-chasing, pig-poaching" villain is ready to change his habits when released. Christelow's pen-and-ink and gouache cartoons show sticks and straw flying across pages, the not-too-bright protagonist, and a hilarious wolf in sheep's clothing. Characters comment on all the goings-on in dialogue balloons that add to the fun and humor. Pair this book with Jon Scieszka's True Story of the Three Little Pigs (Viking, 1989), another choice for lovers of fractured tales.
Mary Elam, Forman Elementary School, Plano, TX
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Clarion Books (September 23, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618181946
• ISBN-13: 978-0618181940
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #674,547 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Eileen Christelow has created numerous fun and funny picture books, including the Five Little Monkeys series, Author, and most recently, Letters from a Desperate Dog. She and her husband, Ahren, live in Vermont. For more information visit www.christelow.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful adaptation of the classic tale!, August 27, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Where's the Big Bad Wolf? (Hardcover)

My sons (ages 7 and 5) absolutely love this book. Esmerelda is a wolf in sheep's clothing who tries to convince the gullible pigs to build ever-flimsier homes ("Build a cardboard house! It's so much easier"). Detective Phineas T. Doggedly finally tracks down the BBW (Big Bad Wolf) with the help of the elderly cows who live nearby. It's a great book with captivating illustrations and characters. So far as we're concerned, it ranks right up there with Steven Kellogg's "Three Little Pigs" and "The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig". Definitely a classic -- I'm really surprised that no one has reviewed it before.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Book Review of: Where's the Big Bad Wolf?, May 27, 2011

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Where's the Big Bad Wolf? (Hardcover)

Where`s The Big Bad Wolf? Was written and illustrated by Eileen Christelow. It`s A fairy tale. In this story, Detective Doggity has trouble with the Big Bad Wolf. Whenever Detective Doggity catches him, he promises, promises, promises, that he will be good from now on. One night Detective Doggity hears a crash. Piggies squeal. This happens for three nights and Detective Doggity finds the wolf in the hospital out of breath. Was that from all that huffing and puffing? The crazy sheep that was telling the pigs to build a clumsy house every night is seen out for a walk right before the huffing and puffing begins. Detective Doggity is positive he has seen that sheep before because do sheep have gray tails? Finally, the sheep goes away. Then a crazy horse comes to town. Detective Doggity is sure he has seen that horse before because do brown horses have gray tails? If you like this story,read other versions of the three little pigs! If you read it, you will see it has a lot of great details and exciting moments. My favorite part was when I figured out the ending.
I rate this book 5 stars.
-Lauren, Age 7

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious book for kids and adults, January 21, 2009

By 

Kristal Stahl (wyoming, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Where's the Big Bad Wolf? (Paperback)

This is one book that even a parent will find funny as the kids do! The cassette tape that goes with it is especially funny. Loved it!