In last weekend’s Wall Street Journal, Meghan Cox Gurdon wrote “The shape and feel of a book still matters, thank goodness, and there is something illimitably satisfying about the snug, matte editions produced for The New York Review Children’s Collection.” In her review of Wolf Story she applauded the elegance of original illustrations by graphic artist Warren Chappell and wrote “What sings, though, is the lively dialogue in the story by William McCleery.” Wolf Story, she concluded, “is a romp and a laugh and a nostalgic joy to read aloud.”
William McCleery, also a playwright, originally devised Wolf Story as a series of bedtime tales to amuse his son Michael. In an interview broadcast on NPR’s Weekend Edition on September 15th, host Scott Simon delves into the making of the book with Michael McCleery himself. Now 72 years old and with three sons of his own, Michael recalls what he found most striking when he revisited the book: “It really said, in a way that children could understand, the things that adults want to say to their kids, but so often cannot.”
For more about Wolf Story and other books in The New York Review Children’s Collection, click here.