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A review by stefhyena
Clever Polly and the Stupid Wolf by Catherine Storr
3.0
At first you think it is just going to be predictable children's stories in the vein of things like [b:Brer Rabbit Book|1997146|Brer Rabbit Book|Enid Blyton|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|2000922] or Looney tunes (roadrunner for example). I thought it was ok on that level, sometimes a bit whimsical or sentimental but OK. But as I read on there was more to it.
There is the complexity of power and empowerment where Polly feels reliant enough upon her own wits to feed and rescue the wolf (but never speak kindly to him). I tied myself in knots thinking about that. On the one hand the wold plays a victim role constantly in Polly's life, on the other hand he is still a predator and she can't afford to let her guard down for a minute. There is also the complexity of having to navigate a world where her mother relies on her.
I read that the book was based on the author's real daughter's real phobia (as a child) about wolves and was a way of working through that. To me the book is more interesting when read this way, about a real little girl's grappling with an imagined wolf. If the wolf represents toxic anxiety and it is really about triumph over fear then I suddenly like it a lot.
Or it's just a predictable story where characters are quite unkind to each other. It's easy enugh to be a confidence booster for a primary school child (of either gender)
There is the complexity of power and empowerment where Polly feels reliant enough upon her own wits to feed and rescue the wolf (but never speak kindly to him). I tied myself in knots thinking about that. On the one hand the wold plays a victim role constantly in Polly's life, on the other hand he is still a predator and she can't afford to let her guard down for a minute. There is also the complexity of having to navigate a world where her mother relies on her.
I read that the book was based on the author's real daughter's real phobia (as a child) about wolves and was a way of working through that. To me the book is more interesting when read this way, about a real little girl's grappling with an imagined wolf. If the wolf represents toxic anxiety and it is really about triumph over fear then I suddenly like it a lot.
Or it's just a predictable story where characters are quite unkind to each other. It's easy enugh to be a confidence booster for a primary school child (of either gender)