Lone Wolf On Vacation
Written by Kiah Thomas and Illustrated by K-Fai Steele
A Junior Library Guild selection and an Amazon Best Book of the Month, Ages 6–8
★"The ever-cantankerous and yet thoroughly lovable Lone Wolf is back. . . . With short, engaging chapters and delightfully funny scenarios, this story builds both humor and tension as Lone Wolf’s hopes for quiet are continuously dashed. Sentence structure starts simple and gradually becomes more complex, supporting growing readers while entertaining them. Word repetition and patterning help build confidence, and the colorful illustrations offer strong visual cues without overwhelming the page. The humor escalates with every page turn, making this book a fun read-aloud and a great tool for encouraging independent reading. A must-have for early reader collections and an excellent continuation of the series."
—School Library Journal, Starred Review
"Wolf['s] energy is Oscar the Grouch meets Wile E. Coyote. . . Fans of the first two series outings will appreciate the appearance of recurring characters . . . but each book’s dry, off-kilter situational humor stands on its own merits. Steele’s watercolor and pencil illustrations have a classic cartoon appeal. . . . A sequence of illustrations in which Wolf tries to avoid a “snotty little boy” whose mucus subsequently befouls the library’s book return chute is LOL funny as is the look of horror on Wolf’s face when the driver of a nearly empty bus proposes a singalong. These transitional readers will appeal to kids who like their humor with a heavy dose of irony."
—The Horn Book
"The ever-apprehensive Wolf sports red-accented tennis shoes and his usual vexed expression; his protruding eyeballs register his stress. The color-washed settings are sometimes night-dim but sometimes sunny. Just as Wolf—mostly—maintains his sangfroid, the wryly funny text never loses its understated calm, with its quick, brief sentences describing our hero’s travails as he skirts disaster. . . . Readers riding waves of amusement will howl for more."
—Kirkus Reviews
“A hilarious romp with an irresistible grump. LONE WOLF is totally GRRR-REAT!” —Andrew McDonald & Ben Wood, creators of the Real Pigeons series
“Children will love Lone Wolf, and while Wolf would no doubt prefer children leave him alone and love something else, it’s great news for everybody else.” —Mac Barnett, New York Times bestselling author of The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza
“I love Lone Wolf, it’s simple and silly and the smart kind of funny. My favorite.” —Bob Shea, beloved children’s author of Who Wet My Pants?
“Singularly brilliant—kids and adults will howl with laughter.” —Greg Pizzoli, three-time Geisel Award winner and creator of Baloney and Friends
“Lone Wolf is a creative genius. This book had me howling while quickly taking notes on how to be left alone.” —Lian Cho, creator of Pig Town Party
“Lone Wolf is the perfect series for kids who loath group hugs and prefer growling at the mailman. I want to be alone with all these books forever!” —Eliza Kinkz, Pura Belpré Illustration Honoree for Papá’s Magical Water-Jug Clock
“Instantly iconic and deeply relatable—Wolf is all of us. He is destined to become one of the great loveable curmudgeons of children’s literature, alongside the Grinch himself.” —Monica Arnaldo, creator of Governor General’s Literary Award Finalist Mr. S
“Lone Wolf had me at ‘Grrr.’ Kiah Thomas’s genius-level writing paired with K-Fai Steele at her funniest and most unhinged makes for the most perfect match that reads like an episode of your favorite cartoon. The cast of chipper characters attempting to ruin poor Wolf’s life is side-splitting. Wolf is a hero for introverts everywhere!” —Jess Hannigan, creator of Spider in the Well
“Lone Wolf is a rare and funny character in children’s books, and that makes him very welcome. Everyone has read all the books with the heroes who want to be chums with everyone and it’s all kisses and hugs and frankly I’m sick of them myself. A person (and a wolf) needs personal space sometimes. I think you’ll agree that Lone Wolf speaks to many children who don’t get to be seen in books very often, because book children are always popping off the page and mad things like that. Some children just want to be left in peace, you know! Three cheers for Lone Wolf, and his hilarious quest to be alone in his own way.” —Kate Beaton, Eisner Award–winning creator of Ducks and Princess and the Pony