THE WOLF WHO WANTED TO FALL IN LOVE

A valentine entry in Lallemand and Thuillier’s series about Wolf.

Lonely Wolf is tired of seeing all the happily paired animals every spring when he himself has no one. So he sets out to find a mate, beginning by asking advice from wise Mr. Owl, who says “You don’t find love, you just fall in love.” Amelia Bedelia–like, Wolf repeatedly throws himself to the ground, to no avail. His friends Alfred, Alex, Big Louie, and Joshua all have advice as well: make yourself attractive, stand out from the crowd, say romantic things, give flowers. But Wolf does all that and is still given the brushoff by a rude, haughty female wolf. Discouraged, he collapses on the road, discarding his sunglasses, cowboy boots, and flowers, only to be bumped into by another lady wolf, this one literally putting hearts in his eyes. And so young readers are introduced to the concept of love at first sight. Thuillier’s wolves have elongated snouts. After falling in love, Wolf’s alert if dim demeanor is transformed by heavy-lidded eyes and an open mouth. Wolfette has curled eyelashes, a swoosh of hair on her head, and a pink bow in her tail. Fans of the series will surely notice that though this seems to present Wolf and Wolfette’s first meeting, she is a character in other books that are already out in English.

Hapless Wolf gets the girl, though young readers aren’t likely to “get” love from this entry.