Beware of the Storybook Wolves

There"s nothing Herb likes better just before bed than a good, scary wolf story, the scarier and hairier the better. But each night he says to his mom, "Don"t forget to take that book with you!" Herb"s mother thinks that storybook wolves are not at all dangerous, but Herb doesn"t want to take any chances. And then one night the unthinkable happens. One of the wolf books is accidentally left behind. And now two wolves have emerged from the storybook, hungry for a meal of little boy. Can Herb outwit the wily wolves? And what about the cantankerous witch who sneaks out of another book while Herb"s not looking? With a bit of borrowed Jell-O and the help of a few other fairy-tale characters shaken out of the books by a desperate Herb, he just might make it. Lauren Child, brilliant creator of Clarice Bean, That"s Me and I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato, taps into shadowy childhood fears--and vanquishes them with wit and imagination. Her clever collages use rough-cut paper and fabric patterns to fabulous effect. (Ages 6 to 10) --Emilie Coulter