and was quickly gobbled up.
When a woeful mouse is swallowed by a wolf, he quickly learns he is not alone: a duck has already set up digs, and, boy, has that duck got it figured out! Turns out it's pretty nice in there, with delicious food and elegant table settings, courtesy of the wolf's unchecked gluttony. And there's something even better: no more fear of being eaten by a wolf! In fact, life is pretty good, until a hunter shows up. . . . With a nod to traditional fables and a wink to the reader, the award-winning Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen offer a tale of cooperation and creative cuisine that is sure to go down easy.
The story's timeless, fable-like feel is bolstered by its traditional cast and old-fashioned fairy-tale language: "Oh, woe!" cries the wolf. "Oh shame!" Life can turn the tables pretty quickly, Barnett suggests, and only those whose outlooks are flexible will flourish. "I may have been swallowed," says the duck, "but I have no intention of being eaten." A rare treasure of a story, the kind that seems to have been around forever.
--Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Barnett and Klassen's collaborations are always good for a laugh, and this one banks heavily on absurdity, to great effect. Klassen's mixed-media artwork transforms the wolf's interior into a delightfully domestic scene, and Barnett's writing is peppered with amusing details. This original pourquoi tale will make a fantastic choice for storytimes, as kids will want to dance along with the duck and mouse--when they're not rolling in the aisles, of course.
--Booklist (starred review)
Barnett's shrewd wit and subtle sense of irony come across expertly in short, snappy sentences, while the repeated refrain of "Oh woe!" and the pourquoi-tale ending lend the story a folkloric tone...Reminiscent of classic animal fables, with this winning team's signature humor and charm, this is a first purchase for any picture book collection.
--School Library Journal (starred review)
This is a delightfully entertaining mash-up of familiar storytelling tropes combined in a wholly original way. Barnett's language is both funny and rich...Klassen's mixed-media illustrations are concentrated down to their essences, with colors so subtle the art appears black- and-white at first glance; striking tableaux that seem to capture each moment at the very peak of the action propel the story forward.
--The Horn Book (starred review)
Readers will laugh out loud at the cunning duck's skills at getting exactly what he wants from the bemused wolf. Author Mac Barnett and illustrator Jon Klassen--who previously collaborated on Triangle and two Caldecott Honor books, Extra Yarn and Sam and Dave Dig a Hole--are an ideal team for readers who like a little quirk in their picture books. The Wolf, the Duck & the Mouse is, like all Barnett-Klassen collaborations, distinctly funny, imagination-stirring and lovely to look at.
--Shelf Awareness for Readers (starred review)
Mac Barnett is the author of three books illustrated by Jon Klassen: Extra Yarn, which won a Caldecott Honor and a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award; Sam and Dave Dig a Hole, which won a Caldecott Honor and an E. B. White Award; and Triangle. With Jory John, he is the co-author of the New York Times best-selling series The Terrible Two. Mac Barnett lives in California.
Jon Klassen is the author-illustrator of I Want My Hat Back, a Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Book; This Is Not My Hat, winner of the Caldecott Medal and the Kate Greenaway Medal; and We Found a Hat. He also illustrated two Caldecott Honor Books, Sam and Dave Dig a Hole and Extra Yarn, as well as Triangle, all written by Mac Barnett. Jon Klassen lives in Los Angeles.
Target Age: 4-8
Candlewick Press
Pub Date: September 27, 2022
0.14" H x 10.91" L x 8.51" W
40 pages
paperback