This is the Path the Wolf Took by Laura Farina is a delightful little fairy tale retelling!

Gabe spins his sister a tale about the path the Wolf took in the woods. Red Riding Hood is there, there's dragon slayers and more exciting changes to this typical fairy tale.

The story is sweet in combination with the pictures. I expected something a little different, but it was still a wonderful children's read! If you're looking for a great little fiction story with fairy tale vibes, grab this book!

Three out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kids Can Press for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

This book has two stories embedded in one, the story of the big bad wolf and the story of the children reading that story. I absolutely love the illustration style, especially the scribbly hair of the human characters. The speech bubbles between the children would be a great opportunity for reading together with parents and emerging readers.

I would say this is a rather chaotic storybook for kids. If it was a retelling of the Little Red Riding Hood of some sort then it would have been fine but it was like some tired parent tried to tell a story but couldn't make up their mind on how to start the story. And yes, it ended just like that.

I would give all the stars to the illustrations. It's done well.

Thanks #NetGalley for the ARC.

I loved the concept of this story: An older brother reading two fairy tales to his little sister changes up the story to be something less scary. She's not fooled though and wants the stories back to something less boring. But as much as I loved the concept, the story didn't quite work for me. Part of my issue was that I never knew what the true overall goal or moral of the story was. Are we to root for the brother and his retelling? Or are we rooting for the sister who thinks he hurt the story by taking out all the drama? Are classic fairy tales better left as they are? Along those lines, I also wasn't sure if the focus was supposed to be on the brother, the wolf, or how he retells the story at the end when he tries to make it less boring. Yet, even that opens up further questions such as why was the brother so scared of the real story? Or why was the last retelling supposed to be so much better because that one fell a little flat for me as well? The illustrations were nice, but there were some confusing layouts that made the flow of the story more difficult to follow than it should have been.

A brother is reading to his sister but changes the scary parts. It is super sweet with adorable art. I think my students will have a lot of fun reading this story.

4 stars.

This is the Path the Wolf Took

In this re-telling mashup of wolf-centered fairytales like Little Read Riding Hood and The Three Little Pigs, big brother Gabriel inserted himself into the stories as a knight in shining armor. While reading to his little sister, he edits out the scary parts with the wolf, substituting ice cream instead, which his sister declares in boring. Gabriel eventually finds a story telling balance with just the right amount of scares and bravery.

I'm always up for a subversive fairy tail retelling. I like that Gabriel takes the helm in the stories he tells his sister, reimagining himself as a character who is not afraid to face the scary wolf, even if he would rather just have ice cream with Granny and Little Red. The story did get convoluted and long in places, making it a little difficult for a big story time, but for a lap read, specially with siblings, it would make for some fun conversation and reimagining.

This book is about a little boy telling his sister a story in which he has cast himself as the hero. She keeps arguing with him about his story, he doesn't like scary parts and she wants it correct; he revises the story and they are both happy with the outcome.

I agree with the comments that this book could be hard for younger kids to follow. I think kindergarten-1st graders would do well with it. You could work on skills such as story structure/grammar, social thinking skills about listening to the storyteller, problem solving skills such as identifying what the little boy did when scared of the story, and how to change up the story when he realized it was boring and compromising with his sister.

If this was in my school library I would absolutely borrow it while targeting those skills.

Thanks to Netgalley for the free book in exchange for an honest review.

A meandering story about a boy who casts himself as the hero who disrupts classic stories before anything bad can happen. There are some really interesting ideas in book, and it could be something special. But it lacks focus and is difficult to latch onto. Is it about the wolf or the brother's ego or the sister... ? Why is there such an aversion to bad things happening in the story? Why does he become a knight of all things? Would it have been more interesting if the big brother were a big sister? Books about reading books are generally not that exciting. This one really went off the rails when its own characters called it boring. Hard to recover from that. Developmental editor, why? I can see it being well-received by anyone who likes these disorienting and conversational books like Click Clack Moo or The true sory of the Three Little Pigs. I'm just not a fan.

I absolutely loved the illustration in this book. The illustrations were fresh and engaging, and i especially liked the varying perspectives the artist used. The story was really cute too. It was a literal retelling and mash up of Little Red Riding Hood and the Three Little Pigs. The story was really well done, and I highly recommend.

I think every parent can relate to the brother in this books and the the constant interruptions that come when reading a story. My children never fail to remind me if I say one word wrong or tell a story slightly different-so I felt for the brother. But otherwise not much happens in this book. There was a bit of cleverness in combining different stories with wolves, but beyond that it felt disjointed and random.

A big brother, in a well meaning move, decides to remove the bad parts from some classic tales. What happens? They become boring, and his sister tells him so!

Although I get the message here, I think the layout and illustrations made it hard to follow. My kids were confused by the busy pictures and word placement, and it really took away from the main story line. I had to agree with them. The format made it tough to stay focused.

Overall, I would have preferred the story line to stay a bit more linear, with fewer tangents. The illustrations were cute, but had lots of word bubbles and movements.

A cute story! The artwork was cute and the story was fun! A great read for kids. I found the storytelling to be sweet and fun.

This was a lovely story, well illustrated, about siblings and storytelling. As Gabe tries to take all the bad elements out of the stories his sister loves he inadvertently makes them really boring... In this tale Gabe learns that you need the bad, the villains to make a good story work. It works really well and would make for a range of opportunities to discuss stories, the bad things that happen in them and why.

I like this story. It's so funny. I think, it really fits kids' way of thinking. I like how it suggest being imaginative to kids when they get scared. I believe that at a young age, they shouldn't really be introduced to something that will scare them. I also love the illustrations and I think, kids would love it.

A brother reads stories to his little sister (both have black hair and light brown skin); she notices his versions are much different than their parents’ versions because the boy makes himself the hero and rescues others from the wolf. Much of the text is in dialogue balloons, making this difficult to use as a read-aloud for storytime, even though the folktale spoofs of Red Riding Hood and The Three Little Pigs will appeal to that age group. The story is a little unfocused but pleasant; the text could have used editing to sharpen the flow of the story. The digital artwork resembles animated film artwork, alternating from white backgrounds to the olive green forest setting.

Sir Gabriel, slayer of dragons (and sometimes wolves), rode out of the forest on his trusty steed. His armor was made of truth, his shield was made of glory, and his sword was made of courage.


A funny take on classic children stories. Little Red Riding Hood and the three little pigs put together in this path that the wolf took. Will the path lead to trouble? With a little humor, good guy vs bad guy, and taking the path is part of the journey, you will never know what who you will meet.

A Special Thank you to Kids Can Press and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review

It was ok, I just didn’t understand why he needed to change the stories. I don’t think ,y kids would either.

This is the Path the Wolf Took is the tale a young boy tells his sister. He gives her a nice, watered down version of a few classic fairy tales in which he - or Sir Gabriel as he imagines himself - keeps everything under control. When she bores of his version, he realizes he needs to ramp up the drama and peril, but of course finishes with a happily ever after.

The illustrations were cute, and the concept of a twist on the classics is a nice one. However, the layout and the storyline just didn't do much for me. My girls are 4 and 3, and this did not in any way hold their interest and I have to say it fell flat for me too. I struggle to think of an age group that would both understand and be held captive with this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for providing me a free copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

This was a cute little book about a boy and his little sister. Ada loved how funny it was that the boy was trying to create a story they both liked, but seemed to be missing the mark. She thought it was funny that ice cream always seemed to be involved. It has a lovely tale and really pretty illustrations. Definitely one we will buy for our friends.

In this fun look at sibling love and look at what makes for a good story, which warms this grandmother's heart, two famous fairy tales are reinvented. A little girl's big brother offers to read her a book. However he does not like the way the story usually ends and he creates a gallant knight that saves the day when Little Red Riding brings a treat to her granny. But his sister does not like his story, she calls for her daddy to tell her the real story. . Ever the helpful big brother he tries another story. This time Sir Gabriel jumps in and saves the day for the three little pigs.
Again the sister cries out for the story she loves. Will her brother ever find the way to entertain his sister? Read This is the Path the Wolf Took by Laura Farina. You will enjoy the simple child like drawings on each page and be impressed with the vocabulary. Dragons whimper and are banished while knights ride trusty steeds and wear an armor of truth.

Recommended for children preschool - 2nd grade. It would be a great addition to any home, school or town library. It would also make for a fun way to begin a discussion with older students about the elements of a good story.