Jack the Wolf
Dutch author and artist Jagtenberg here recounts the events of a new boy's first day of school. When Jack arrives at his classroom door, a large brown wolf seems to be looking out at him. Inside, the wolf turns out to be a mask, but Jack's fears do not diminish. Two to three lines per page realistically portray a new student's sense of being overwhelmed (when the teacher introduces him, "All the children look at Jack./ Jack looks at all the children./ He thinks that maybe it is time to go home"). During a crafts session, "Jack wants to draw but is scared to ask," and he's too shy to run in the gym. He only gains confidence in a game of "Little Red Riding Hood," when he puts on the wolf mask and frightens his peers. An ambiguous image shows "Jack the wolf" reaching out in a hug or a shove as a classmate dressed in red shrinks away. Afterward, everyone smiles, but Jack's behavior goes unexamined. The boy's newfound power could be derived from bullying or simply sails on a wave of his enthusiasm; since he never says a word, readers can't be sure. Jagtenberg sketches the blocky school interiors in rough charcoal-gray, then pastes on waxy color images of the characters; the drawings suggest big, impersonal rooms that might make a child nervous. Her characterization of Jack will immediately draw in readers, but her pointed sentences may leave a bit too much to the imagination. Ages 4-8.Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.