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Storybook Wolves

A Howling Good Time

Skazka Ob Ivanie-Tsarevichie, Zhar-Ptits... (by Bilibin, Ivan Iakovlevich)
The Fairy Tales of Charles Perrault (by Perrault, Charles)
Fables of Aesop and Others : Translated ... (by Croxall, Samuel)
White Fang.
The Jungle Book (by Rudyard Kipling)
The Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm (by Grimm, Jacob)
Wolf Time (by Walker, Lars)
The Gold Wolf (by Fraser, W. A.)

Children’s literature is rife with monsters, usually evil and oftentimes taking the shape of wolves. The image of the wolf arises from ancient times when most people lived agrarian lives and feared large predators which killed their valuable livestock and, sometimes, people.

The wolf, which lives in communal groups, resembles the extended human family or small village. That similarity makes it easy to characterize them by human standards, which viewed wolves as synonymous with humanity’s less than endearing sins of gluttony, greed, malice, and lust.

The traditional mindset did not change until the 1940s and 1950s, when scientists took the time to study wolves for the precise intention of learning the best way to eradicate them. Research showed the deeply social and supportive aspect of lupine society, which sparked a rapid change in general attitudes. Over the subsequent decades, wolves went from being the evil opponent of mankind to noble savages that nurtured the young.

Although the last wolf in England is said to have been exterminated in 1680, the last one in Scotland killed in 1848, and the systematic hunting of wolves in Europe and North America has made them exceedingly rare, their memory survives in literature, especially children’s literature. The World Library contains virtual shelves full of children’s stories featuring wolves in their conflicting aspects.

The Tale of Ivan Tsarevich, the Firebird, and the Gray Wolf: This Russian fairy tale tells the story of young Ivan Tsarevich, son of a Tsar, whose father sends him out to capture the firebird eating the apples in the royal orchard. On the way to the orchard, Ivan comes to fork in the road and encounters a wolf.

Little Red Riding Hood: Renowned French storyteller Charles Perrault adapted this well-known folk tale in 1697. Like many fairy tales, this one is rife with symbolism and the wolf represents the cardinal sins of lust and gluttony.

Peter and the Wolf: In 1936, Natalya Sats and the Central Children’s Theatre in Moscow commissioned Sergei Prokofiev to write a new musical symphony that would appeal to children. Prokofiev created Peter and the Wolf in just four days. The musical score debuted as an animated production in 1946 to become an instant classic.

The Fables of Aesop and Others: From “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” to “The Wolf and the Crow,” wolves feature largely in these ancient cautionary tales, commanding 12 of these stories in the 1786 English translation by Samuel Croxall.

White Fang: by Jack London: This 1906 classic novel exploring the violence of animals and men first appeared in serialized format. It takes place in the Yukon Territory during the 1890s Gold Rush.

The Jungle Book: Repurposed several times over into movies, Rudyard Kipling’s 1894 book takes place in Colonial India and features a native hero raised by wolves that feature strongly as a force for family and social support.

The Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm cannot be left out of this roster of children’s literature. Wolves feature in five of the stories featured here, including “The Wolf and the Seven Kids,” “The Wolf and the Man,” “Old Sultan, The Wren and the Bear,” and more.

Wolf Time: Lars Walker’s science fiction novella, published in 2004, of a human turning wolf, at least within his thoughts, may appeal to teenagers.

The Gold Wolf, a short story, published in 2002, by W. A. Fraser is another tale appealing to teens. It brings the flavor of the Old West in North America to a tale of a bounty hunter’s encounter with wolves and an outlaw called Jack the Wolf.

By Karen M. Smith