Little Wolf never likes what is made for dinner:  Lamburgers, Sloppy Does, Chocolate Moose—nothing pleases him.  All he can think about is “boy”—boy chops, baked boy-tatoes and boys -n-berry pie. On the way home to three pig salad, Little Wolf has the idea of pretending to see a boy. After this trick results in him getting junk food for several nights, his father overhears him bragging to a friend. They refuse to listen to him…even though he has seen an entire troop of boy scouts in the woods, and one even enters the cave. Lesson learned, and the boys, at least, live happily ever after.

Bob Hartman, GP Putnam, 2002, ISBN 0-399-23578-7.

Wolf Variations

Students should be able to draw the comparisons between this story and the original Boy Who Cried Wolf. If you read them the original story and then this one, they should be able to construct a VENN diagram to compare and contrast the two stories (see the blackline master).

Then you could ask them to brainstorm other stories into which a wolf variation could be included: Chicken Wolf (from Chicken Little), Little Red Wolf (from the Little Red Hen), Wolf and the Beanstalk (from Jack and the Beanstalk – although it will be hard for a wolf to climb), etc. They could then try to write a new a clever version of the story with the wolf as a main character.

Fairy Tales and Fables With Wolves

Many fairy tales, particularly “northern” tales feature wolves…possibly because they were a real danger in the time of the stories. Many of Aesop’s fables also feature wolves, which makes one think that perhaps this is one of the dangers in Greece at the time of Aesop as well.

A list of tales you may wish your students to read and discuss includes:

1. Little Red Riding Hood (Grimm fairy tale)
2. The Three Little Pigs (Grimm fairy tale)
3. The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids (Grimm fairy tale)
4. The Dog and the Wolf (Aesop)
5. The Wolf and the Lamb (Aesop)
6. The Wolf and the Crane (Aesop)

For 5 creative writing ideas, click The Wolf Who Cried Boy to download.