Horn Book
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

This latest Barnett/Klassen collaboration, an original pourquoi tale explaining why wolves howl, is a delightfully entertaining mash-up of familiar storytelling tropes combined in a wholly original way. Barnett's language is both funny and rich; Klassen's mixed-media illustrations are concentrated down to their essences, with striking tableaux that seem to capture each moment at the very peak of the action. (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Swallowed by a wolf, a mouse and duck defend their cozy belly from a hunter.When the mouse is swallowed, its lament wakes duck, abed "in the belly of the beast." Over breakfast, the mouse asks, "Where did you get jam?And a tablecloth?" The response: "You'd be surprised what you find inside of a wolf." Readers will be, too: the duck manages a shipshape household that includes a four-burner cooktop, a nice set of knives, and formalwear for fancy dinners. The duck explains that living inside the wolf eliminates that daily, existential fear of being swallowed by wolves. The mouse stays; the two celebrate by dancing to records. The wolf, meanwhile, roils with stomach pain, which is then worsened by the duck's suggested "cure." "Eat a hunk of good cheese. And a flagon of wine! And some beeswax candles." When a hunter corners the ailing wolf, the mouse insists on fighting to "defend our home." It's this enterprising pair that wins the day: the hunter flees from its unexpected, armed trajectory out of the wolf's mouth. The grateful wolf extends a favorwhich the duo redeems in phonograph records. Klassen's signature palette, compositions, and comedic, horizontally elongated eyes are here along with the heightened action propelled by Barnett's narrative. Barnett wrestles Aesop and Grimm into pretzels, adding a groaner ending ("And that's why the wolf howls at the moon") for the mustard. A howl. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.