The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

The Baddest Wolf of All? by David Sherrin, illustrated by Martín Morón  Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House Publishers), 2024 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Jacqueline Jules  Buy at Bookshop.org Wolf feels he must live up to his big bad name, except he enjoys doing nice things like carrying bags for Red Riding Hood. In order to become the Big Bad Wolf he believes the world expects, he asks an Evil Queen to be his teacher. She instructs him to give Snow White a poison apple. Wolf thinks this will be an easy task until he meets Snow White and finds her charming. Unable to stop himself, he helps her out in the kitchen and dances with her. When it comes time to offer the poison apple, Wolf decides he can’t hurt someone who has been so friendly to him. Soon after, Wolf learns (to his surprise) that his real name is Badrick and “Bad” was just a nickname. This means he doesn’t have to be bad if it makes him unhappy. The Baddest Wolf of All? is a visually appealing...

Big Bad Wolf's Yom Kippur by David Sherrin, illustrated by Martin Morón Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House), 2023 Category: Picture Books  Reviewer: Doreen Klein Robinson Buy at Bookshop.org Big Bad Wolf’s Yom Kippur is a delightful story that twists the conventional tale on its… tail! Author David Sherrin does a clever job mashing up two favorite fables: Little Red Riding Hood and the Three Little Pigs. The story takes place during Yom Kippur, but for Big Bad Wolf it’s just another day of being bad, until he accepts Raccoon’s invitation to go to synagogue. Rabbi’s hug and Cantor’s cheerful singing might just make a big bad wolf change his ways. But then he remembers that wolves don’t like hugs, or singing, or changing. Big Bad Wolves like being bad. His encounter with Little Red Riding Hood and her Granny has him almost apologizing, a sign that he is starting to change. As he heads home, he feels something warm in his heart. Then he sees the Three Little Pigs, but...