Australian stories ยท Picture book guide
Who's Afraid of the Quite Nice Wolf? by Kitty Black and Laura Wood
Wilfred is a wolf, but not a very scary one. A picture book about a gentle wolf trying to fit in with a big, bad pack, and the moment he has to decide whose side he is on.
The Listening ShelfUpdated 3 October 20262 min read
This page once held an earlier review by a different writer. This is a new page: a plain guide to the book, written from the book itself and its publisher's record, not a personal verdict.
In this piece
The short answer
A funny, warm picture book for children of about three to six, published by New Frontier in 2019. Wilfred, the "Quite Nice Wolf", does not fit in with the local wolf pack and starts training to become big and bad. When the pack plans to attack the sheep, he has to choose. Underneath the jokes, it is about stereotypes and staying true to yourself.
The story
Wilfred is a wolf, and wolves are supposed to be scary. He is not. He tries hard to fit in with the local pack, which is mean, and trains to become a proper wolf: one that is big and bad. Then the pack hatches a master plan to go after the sheep, and Wilfred has to decide whether to help them, and whether he even wants to.
Laura Wood's illustrations are bright and full of small details, in the sunny, earthy palette she is known for. The book was chosen for the UK's 2020 Summer Reading Challenge, whose theme that year was funny books.
Who made it
Kitty Black is a Perth author who, by her publisher's account, has four university degrees in psychology. This was her debut picture book. Laura Wood is an illustrator based in Milan.
Reading it aloud
- Do the voices. The gap between Wilfred and the pack is half the comedy.
- Pause before the choice. Ask what your child thinks Wilfred should do, and why.
- Talk about the title. Why might people be afraid of a wolf that is only "quite nice"? It is a gentle way into talking about judging people by what they are rather than who they are.
New Frontier publishes free teaching notes for classrooms, linked below. We found no audiobook; this is one to read together, so ask for it in print at your library.
Common questions
What age is Who's Afraid of the Quite Nice Wolf? for?
The publisher recommends it for ages three to six.
What is the message of Who's Afraid of the Quite Nice Wolf?
That you do not have to fit a stereotype to belong, and that being kind can take more courage than being big and bad.
Who illustrated Who's Afraid of the Quite Nice Wolf?
Laura Wood, an illustrator based in Milan.