Parents' Guide to

Big Wolf and Little Wolf

By Patricia Tauzer, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 4+

Touching friendship tale for kids big and little.

Book Nadine Brun-Cosme Picture Book 2009
Big Wolf and Little Wolf Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

See all

There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.

What's the Story?

Big Wolf likes living under his tree on the hill ... alone. But one day, Little Wolf appears on the scene. Neither is quite sure of the other at first, and when Little Wolf begins following Big Wolf and doing whatever he does, Big Wolf feels a bit threatened. However, they become used to each other, and all is fine -- that is until Little Wolf disappears almost as quickly as he had come. Big Wolf is miserable as he waits and worries. Will his life ever be the same again? Will Little Wolf ever return? Big Wolf decides that having a friend, even a little one, was worth all the chances he had taken. And then one day he sees a small dot coming over the hill.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

Kids of all ages will connect with this book, both for its message and its illustrations.  Who hasn't felt like Big Wolf at times? Apprehensive when a new face appears in a place that has felt so comfortably yours?  Whether the new face belongs to a new classmate or a new child in the family, it can be an unsettling experience.  Or, perhaps you have felt like Little Wolf -- new to a place and not quite sure how to fit in. This book tells it both ways, and not just in words. The beautifully simple yet expressive artwork adds another layer to the emotion of the story. Just by the way the wolves stand or sit, and the way their eyes shift, the reader can tell exactly what they are feeling. 

The artwork in this book is unique, and beautifully expressive. The painted backgrounds are colorful, almost exquisite, with yellow fields dotted here and there with red poppies, the large trunked tree against the blue sky, the night scene looking icy and cold.  And each character, done in pencil and/or paint, is simply drawn, with eyes and postures that let the reader know exactly what each is feeling. Big Wolf is done in pencil or graphite lines almost scribbled over the painted background, while Little Wolf is painted in a solid bright blue. With their pointy noses and long sweeping tails, they are wolves that don't exactly look like wolves, at least not in the scary sense. 

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the friendship story. How did Big Wolf feel when Little Wolf walked over to his tree for the first time? Why? What made him feel that way? Have you ever felt that way when someone new came to your class? Even your family? How did the Big Wolf feel when Little Wolf didn't come back? What changed the way he felt?

  • Why do you think the artist drew the wolves with long pointy snouts and tall skinny bodies? Why did he draw the Big Wolf with scribbly black pencil lines and then paint Little Wolf with blue paint? Notice their eyes. How do they change to show how the wolves are feeling? Why did the artist show Little Wolf as a small blue dot when he is first coming over the hill?

  • Do you think wolves can really climb trees? Do they eat oranges? Would they ever sleep under a blanket of leaves like the one in the book? What else can you find that makes these wolves different from real wolves?

Book Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate