‘Clever Polly and the Stupid Wolf’ by Catherine Storr, Publisher Puffin Books
Clever
Polly and the Stupid Wolf by Catherine Storr was re-issued by Puffin
Books at the beginning of July and could be the surprise hit of the
summer holidays. Photo Puffin Books
The author wrote this book because her daughter became afraid of wolves after seeing them in a zoo enclosure. The author fed her daughter’s irrational fear of wild wolves by writing this book.
The daughters own words, “Storr recalled: “When I was five or six my family visited Whipsnade Zoo, which had a wood where wild wolves lived. I remember looking through the chain-link fence into the dark wood and seeing wolves slinking through the trees. I was very frightened by the wolves, and my fears continued after we returned home.
“So my mother wrote a short story for me called Clever Polly, in which Polly avoids a wolf’s efforts to eat her by outwitting him.” The Telegraph’s review http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/11763360/Childrens-book-could-be-surprise-bestseller-of-the-summer.html
This type of anti-wolf children’s literature led to the near extinction of wolves in the USA. Wolves were already extinct in the authors homeland of England at the time the book was written.
Wild woves in the 1950s carried a bounty on thier heads and were hunted into near extinction in Wisconsin. Decades later wild wolves were put on the Endangered Species List. Wild wolves occupy less than two percent of their historic range in the lower 48 states in the USA.
Now Puffin Books, the publisher, thinks it’s time to re-issue ‘Clever Polly and the Stupid Wolf’ in todays climate of anti-wolf hysteria.
Anti-wolf hysteria is at its height with thousand of wild wolves being slaughtered in the USA and around the world. This is not the time to re-issue another book that perpetuates irrational wolf hysyeria. Children have been introduced to far too many myths and fables written by anti-wolf masters of deception, that have been written to justify the killing off large carnivores. Wolves have been wrongly scapegoated far to long in our world and it is time to end the killing spree.
It is time to teach our young people facts. Facts such as; wolves are keystone predators and an essential link to keeping our ecosytems healthy.
This is my book review of ‘Clever Polly and the Stupid Wolf’
I give it a ten paws DOWN because this book teaches fear of wild wolves. Our history is full of anti-wolf fairy tales that taught children to disconnect with nature. ‘Clever Polly and the Stupid Wolf’ had its place alright, but certainly not among any award winnng children’s books. It should remain in the historical archives filed under, propaganda literature, right next to Little Red Riding Hood fables.
I recomend that the you contact the publisher and make a comment on the review written by The Telepgraph and let them Know your opinion. Be polite and factual.
Puffin Books in Londan, England contact: http://www.puffin.co.uk/about/contact-us/
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Comment on this review by clicking on this link http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/11763360/Childrens-book-could-be-surprise-bestseller-of-the-summer.html
The Telegraph who wrote a review of ‘Clever Polly and The Stupid Wolf by Cathetin Storr “Clever Polly and the Stupid Wolf by Catherine Storr was re-issued by Puffin Books at the beginning of July and could be the surprise hit of the summer holidays.”
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