Baabwaa and Wooliam by David Elliot

cover image

Ill. by Melissa Sweet. Candlewick Press, 2017. ISBN 9780763660741
(Age: Junior primary) Highly recommended. As you can guess by their clever names, this is a book about sheep. Baabwaa loves to knit and Wooliam loves to read. "It sounds boring but they like it".
They decide to have an adventure and while walking about the field, come across a wolf in disguise. At first the wolf chases them, while the sheep make a dash for safety deciding that being adventurous is not as wonderful as they first thought.
The wolf stops his pursuit as he is distracted by Wooliam's comment "It's that Wolf in sheep's clothing I've read about". The sheep show him the book but discover that he cannot read. They begin reading instruction for the wolf who still sporadically chases them, which they decide is good for their fitness and health.
This is a delightfully comical picture book as David Elliot makes humorous comments throughout the story, that children will love. I love the forgiving nature of the sheep and that they put up with the wolf chasing them as he is "just following his nature".
I enjoyed the end of the story where the wolf is engrossed in a book, wearing knitted garments made by Baabwaa.
The illustrations by Melissa Sweet are perfect for the story and the strands of wool on the endpapers are a great touch.
I highly recommend this picture book for junior primary aged children.
Jane Moore

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