Beware of Boys

From School Library Journal Kindergarten-Grade 2-- In this light, silly adventure, a boy captured by a hungry wolf gives him bogus recipes for boy soup, boy stew, and boy cake, thereby devising a stay of execution. The wolf frantically retrieves the ingredients, always forgetting the salt. Finally overcome by exhaustion, he collapses and is bricked in by the child, who goes home happily to his mother. The hairy, leering, braces-sporting wolf is an entertaining contrast to the stolid, cheery boy. Full-color cartoon-style illustrations are barely contained by their borders on the pages, with all manner of ingredients spilling everywhere. Several double-paged spreads show aspects of the wolf's marketing expeditions, creating a sense of frenzy. The only tip-off that this title originated in England is the boy's supper at home--meat pie. Like that dish, this title may not be inspired, but it certainly is solid. --Carolyn Noah, Central Mass. Regional Library System, Worcester, MACopyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Kirkus Reviews Once again, the wolf gets the worst of it: the boy he brings home for dinner tempts him with a recipe for ``Boy Soup,'' but first the wolf must gather a plethora of ingredients, including a ton of potatoes, a cartload of carrots, and a barrel of bricks. Did he forget the salt? Never mind, the lad announces, Boy Pie would be better anyway, and requires just three foothills of flour, six sacks of cement, and a few similar items. When the wolf finally collapses in exhaustion, the boy bricks him up in his cave and saunters home. The long-nosed, snaggledtoothed wolf adopts an increasingly beleaguered expression as he rushes about gathering mounds of staples and produce, while Blundell's energetic line and pop-eyed, cartoony characters keep the tale moving at a manic pace. (Picture book. 6-8) --