But here is a little wok of art, funny, tender and captivating. It is easy to imagine, from the natural conversational cadences and the impromptu unfolding of episodes, that the writing was no feat. The laughing child who listen will agree, for Wolf Story simply has to last forever. ''You can kill the wolf at the very end, but this way we can have more story, ' said Michael.

It is in similar improvisational exchanges that we-adults and children-learn how to love.' - Commonweal

Dramatist McCleery perfectly captures the irritation, affection, tricks, admiration, and sheer surprise that pass back and forth between parent and child in everyday family life. This 'underground classic' finds an inventive and exasperated father telling a wolf story to end all wolf stories (so he hopes) to his inventive and demanding young son. 'If you can get only one children's book this year, make it William McCleery's 1947 Wolf Story. And you can't start them too young.' -Alexandra Mullen, B&N Review 'For the parent faced with a child consumed with the desire to hear the same story for the zillionth time, especially if it's a story with a wolf in it, joy has come with the reprinting of William McCleery's 1947 classic Wolf Story.I've loved this book for a long time, and it's good enough for a grown-up to read in silent pleasure, but it really springs to life when it's read out loud.Laughing and crying over made-up characters we know are made up, getting a kick out of it, and coming back for more is just one of those weird things humans do. 'synopsis' may belong to another edition of this title. After that, there's no knowing what will happen next, as while stalled in traffic jams or nodding off at night, the boys chime in and the story races on and Waldo finds if not necessarily dinner, his just desserts.įirst published in 1947 and wonderfully illustrated by Warren Chappell, William McCleery's Wolf Story is a delicious treat for fathers and sons and daughters and mothers alike. Waldo the wolf is sneaking up on Rainbow the hen, when Jimmy Tractorwheel, the son of the local farmer, comes along. It is (it's what Michael always demands) a Wolf Story, which begins one night at bedtime and spins wildly on through subsequent bedtimes and Sunday outings to the beach and park in a succession of ever more trickily tantalizing episodes. This irresistible book is about: a father his five-year-old son, Michael (intelligent, crafty, addicted to stories) Michael's best friend Stefan (stalwart listener, equally addicted to stories) and, well-what else?-a story.

Wolf story by william mccleery