Mr. Wolf's Pancakes

From Publishers Weekly The Little Red Hen can keep her crusty old bread; Mr. Wolf has his sights on something a bit tastier--pancakes--in this picture book that celebrates comeuppance. Though Mr. Wolf fantasizes about flapjacks, he hasn't the first idea how to cook them--and he has trouble reading the Wolf It Down Recipe Book, besides. Mr. Wolf seeks assistance from his neighbors, but Chicken Little, Wee Willy Winkle, the Gingerbread Man, Little Red Riding Hood and the Three Little Pigs all nastily refuse. Of course, when Mr. Wolf eventually whips up the pancakes all by himself, they demand a share of his culinary creation. Mr. Wolf, seemingly forgiving, lets the marauders into the kitchen--and then gobbles them all up, with pancakes on the side. Kids will love Fearnley's (Little Robin's Christmas) use of favorite characters as well as her sympathetic wolf and the savory surprise ending. Chipper watercolors depict a sunny storybook town where denizens shop at Old Mother Hubbard's General Store and Simple Simon's Pie & Cake Emporium. A gleeful twist on a nursery staple. Ages 5-7. (Jan.) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From Kirkus Reviews The tables are turned and the big bad wolf from traditional fairy tales is cast as a mild-mannered, aspiring cook in this hilarious topsy-turvy tale from Fearnley. Determined to assuage his yearning for pancakes, the gastronomically-challenged Mr. Wolf sets out to make a stack himself. However, the would-be chef discovers a staggering amount of hurdles that must be overcome before he can enjoy his repast: reading the recipe, making a list, purchasing the ingredients. Like the little red hen, Mr. Wolf requests help from his neighbors along the way, and these charactersChicken Little, Wee Willy Winkle, Gingerbread Man, and othershave shed their more benign personalities to reveal themselves as a rude, scurrilous bunch. Mr. Wolf retains his poise with each rebuff and ends up doing the work alone; when the pushy neighbors barge into his kitchen to share the food, Mr. Wolf enjoysin true fairy-tale fashionfar more than pancakes for his meal. Fearnley's light tone keeps the abrupt demise of the ill-mannered bunch from being morbid, and the switch in Mr. Wolf's demeanor, from polite to hungry, is more funny than frightful. The brightly hued illustrations conjure up an imaginary land that tickles the funnybone, where ``Little Jack's Plum Pies'' can be purchased from ``Simple Simon's Pie & Cake Emporium.'' Wryly funny and childlike. (Picture book. 4-8) --