Wolves will (not) be Wolves: A Modern-Day Feminist Fairy Tale

 
　　小紅帽興奮地展開冒險，但一走出門，就看到路上到處都張貼著國王的告示，命令大家要當乖寶寶，「天黑不要在外逗留」、「不要跟野狼說話」⋯⋯
 
　　一開始，小紅帽試著遵守規則，但卻按捺不住想要冒險的心，可是她卻接連遇到金髮小女孩、糖果屋兄妹和三隻小豬警告：「今天有大野狼出沒，你一定要乖乖聽話、遵守規則，不然就會被抓走，趕快回家躲起來。」小紅帽越想越生氣，為什麼大野狼可以在森林裡四處玩耍，她卻得東躲西藏？小紅帽發起了一項運動，熟悉的童話角色也都加入她的行列，他們拒當乖寶寶，想要拿回屬於他們的森林和自由！　　
 
　　日常生活中，孩子常被教導要遵守既定的規則，然而如果規則不合理，一定得遵守嗎？這本有趣的繪本從經典童話出發，巧妙翻轉故事視角，鼓勵孩子挑戰故事中的傳統思維。一起想想看，為什麼故事只要求大家乖乖遵守規定，而不要求大野狼？面對外在危險，我們還可以怎麼保護自己？在閱讀和思考的過程中，培養小朋友獨立思考的能力，不只學習懂得自我保護，更懂得為自己爭取權益。

　　The wild woods are waiting, and Little Red wants to have an adventure, but weighed down by the King's Decree to "Be Good" and warnings from other fairy tale characters that the Big Bad Wolf is about, Little Red's journey suddenly seems fraught.

　　On meeting Goldilocks, Hansel and Gretel and the Three Little Pigs, Little Red quickly goes from curious to furious as she wonders why she needs to alter her behaviour when the Big Bads are free to wander anywhere. Little Red's campaign gathers pace as beloved fairy tale characters join her in a march to reject the "Rules for Being Good" and finally take back the woods.

　　This witty picture book introduces a serious subject to children, encouraging them to challenge the cautionary tales which are sewn into the fabric of storytelling. Although we are now well-versed in feminist fairy tales, a seed of caution remains rooted in our stories, parenting and laws, but what if we started challenging this narrative for our children? What if the onus of responsibility is shifted onto the villain?

　　Wolves will (not) be Wolves introduces a serious subject in an easy-to-understand and lighthearted way.

　　Frances is a former primary school teacher who first realised her love for writing with the poem My Dad's Milkfloat aged six. She is a trained children's literacy specialist and she won the Bloomsbury and National Literacy Trust short story prize in 2017. Her debut books Love you Always and What will you Dream of Tonight? were published by Nosy Crow in 2019.

　　She lives with her family and a big-eared dog in Nottinghamshire. When she is not writing, you'll find her in the forest playing dragons with her daughters.

　　Hannah Abbo is a self-taught illustrator from the UK, currently living and working in Lisbon, Portugal. She lives with her partner and child, and their (slightly) overweight cat. When she's not drawing she loves making ceramics in a local studio, visiting the botanical gardens and baking bread.