This Is the Path the Wolf Took

This is the Path the Wolf Took is another title in what is becoming a voluminous body of books that disrupt the traditional narrative of fairy tales. In this particular case, Gabriel is telling his little sister, Mia, the stories of Little Red Riding Hood and the Three Little Pigs. In Gabriel’s retellings, however, in each story the wolf is scared away by the gallant Sir Gabriel. “Nothing bad happens,” Gabriel tells his sister. Mia finds the stories infinitely boring. They are not nearly as entertaining as the Big Bag Wolf stories told by her parents.

As with many of these “fractured fairy tale” types of stories, there is a good deal of humour in Laura Farina’s and Elina Ellis’ work. This is Farina’s first picture book, but she has previously published poetry collections. Poetry is marked by careful, evocative word choices and economy of language. Those poetic strengths are evident in Farina’s writing here too.

Ellis’ digitally rendered artwork features colourful double page spreads. The colour palette is predominantly a mix of greens and, perhaps, medallion shades of yellow and brick pink. The wolf appears as sharp-toothed, angular, and rather deceitful looking. One might argue it looks as much like a crocodile as a wolf, but its obscure appearance will likely appeal to the sense of humour of many young readers. My own preference is for more realistic styles of art, but I recognise that, in disrupted retellings of fairy tales, such artwork might be inappropriate or out of place. As such, Ellis can be applauded for her bold art design choices that magnify the humour of Farina’s written text.

Although the publisher suggests an audience of three- to seven-year-olds, a target audience this young may experience some trouble following the story-within-a-story structure of the book. Similarly, there may be some confusion in the use of voice balloons that often do not point to a character but, instead, point off the page border to a hidden speaker. The adult reader sharing the book with a young listener may have to provide some support with such matters. That said, I think adults and children will enjoy the possibilities This is the Path the Wolf Took offers for the integration of traditional stories and the creation of new adventures.