Sheepish (wolf under cover) by Helen Yoon

Debut creator Helen Yoon takes the familiar trope of the wolf in sheep's clothing and gives it a unique spin in this silly but sweet picture book.

A mysterious dark figure with a fluff of white on its head scoots towards the peaceful sheep, dreaming of a tasty whole sheep on a platter with an apple in its mouth. The art narrows in and we see the wolf, cautioning readers to hush up as it joins the sheep in their daily activities. "Nobody suspects a thing!" says the wolf, tail wagging wildly, as the sheep hide under the cafeteria tables in shock. However, as the wolf puts its plan into action, being helpful handy, and the "sheepiest sheep" the sheep are won over until a single kiss derails all the wolf's carefully laid plans.

The wolf nopes out of the dorm like the octopus of meme-fame and settles in to some cookbook reading, alone in its den (the cookbooks are "vegetarian," "the no-meat diet" and "pork"). Only to be shocked by the reappearance of the sheep in their own surprising disguises.

Besides the cheerful humor of the story, largely communicated through the comic-style art and brief internal dialogue of the wolf, this is a good choice for classroom use in discussing perspectives - what does the wolf think is happening? What are the sheep actually doing? As well as comparing different retellings of the original fable.

Verdict: A fun addition to most library collections, this will be especially popular with older preschoolers who can grasp the more subtle humor.

ISBN: 9781536207323; Published January 2021 by Candlewick; Review copy provided by the publisher; Donated to the library