Review of Tell the Truth, B.B. Wolf

Bibliography

Sierra, Judy. Tell the Truth, B.B. Wolf. Illustrated by J. Otto Seibold. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2010. ISBN 978-0-375-95620

Plot Summary

Big Bad Wolf is invited to storytime at the library to tell the story of how he met the three little pigs.  During the retelling of the story, B.B. Wolf comes to terms with how bad he treated the three pigs.   He begs the pigs forgiveness and to prove he has changed, and to repair his reputation, he builds the pigs a new home.    

Critical Analysis

The theme of this fractured fairy tale is that people, or in this case a wolf, can change.  All of the illustrations in the book were digitally created and the colorful illustrations work well with the modernization of the book’s characters and plot.  Other fairy tale characters like the Gingerbread Boy, Humpty Dumpty, Pinocchio, and the Little Engine make appearances throughout the book. I enjoyed the little bits of humor in the book’s illustrations.  Illustrations of books titled Little Red Rotten Hood or Little Bo Creep, Pinocchio asking B.B. Wolf if his nose is growing because he isn’t telling the truth, and the Little Engine answering “I think it is, I think it is.” made me laugh. The story’s composition is lyrical and humorous and would be a good choice for a read-aloud.


Awards and Excerpts

Grand Canyon Reader Award, 2013 ; Nominee; Picture Book; Arizona

Booklist review excerpt  “Children familiar with the folktale will enjoy the witty text to the fullest. Seibold's lively illustrations, created digitally in his signature style, feature entertaining details as well as expressive characters playing out their roles with panache.”

School Library Journal review excerpt  “This brilliant retelling deserves a place at the head of the fractured-fairy-tale pack.”


Connections

Other fractured fairy tales by Judy Sierra:
Mind Your Manners, B.B. Wolf  (2007)
Monster Goose (2001)
The Gift of the Crocodile: A Cinderella Story  (2000)

Other Books Illustrated by J. Otto Seibold:
The Pig in the Spigot, by  Richard Wilbur (2004)
Other Goose: Re-Nurseried and Re-Rhymed Childrens Classics, by J. Otto Seibold (2010)
Olive, The Other Reindeer, by Vivian Walsh (1997)