Lone Wolf Gets a Pet - by Kiah Thomas (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Grumpy Wolf wants jellybeans, and it seems that the only way he can get some is to win the local Best Pet Competition, but first he has to find a pet who will cooperate"--

Book Synopsis

Oscar the Grouch meets Frog & Toad in this hilarious illustrated early reader series about a cranky wolf on a quest to be left alone.

Wolf lives by himself, and he likes it that way. Wolf is not a people person.

But today, he would really like some jellybeans, and the store is completely out. The shopkeeper tells him that all the jellybeans have been bought up for prizes in a competition. A Best Pet Competition.

There's only one thing for it: Wolf needs to acquire a darling dog, a cool cat, or a happy horse. But one by one, these animals prove that Wolf is not much of an animal person, either. Will no pet win him an award? How far must Wolf go to get some dang jellybeans?

Move over, Elephant & Piggie! For readers who have had enough of the buddy duos, for kids who'd rather play by themselves--Wolf is the antihero you've been waiting for. Lone Wolf Gets a Pet is the second in a hilarious early reader series starring the completely lovable, chronically grumpy Wolf, a character who affirms kids who fly solo better than with friends.

Kids who are beginning to read on their own won't be able to get enough of Kiah Thomas's sarcastic stories, perfect whether read alone or out loud, and K-Fai Steele's laugh-out-loud illustrations will give any kid, no matter their reading level, a new favorite series.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

Review Quotes

A memorable, original character in the crowded field of early-reader books. . . With great aplomb, Steele's detailed, colorful cartoon illustrations capture the waggish antics and googly-eyed expressions. Thomas' short, snappy sentences, superb pacing, and satisfying, sweet deal of an ending make for a winning entry. Beginning readers will howl for more books in this hilarious early-reader series.
--Booklist (starred review)

These stories are so fresh and funny they must be shared.
--School Library Journal

These piquant stories are all hard edges, blunted somewhat by the pencil and watercolor illustrations' soft lines and gentle coloring, reminiscent in tone and style to William Steig's classic works. The text itself is in multiple chapters with a wide range of sentences per page, with vocabulary and phonetic challenges, so this is for readers who have grown in their confidence. With their wry humor, these books would also work as read-alouds in classrooms, libraries, and homes.
--Horn Book

A dryly humorous celebration of solitude--and jelly beans.
--Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Kiah Thomas is passionate about books that kids and adults can enjoy together. She is the author of the picture books Allergic Alpaca, Foothand Elbownose, and Madeline Talbot Has a Bunny on Her Head, and the middle grade novel The Callers. She lives on the south coast of NSW with her husband, three children and at least seven stuffed toy penguins.

K-Fai Steele is the author and illustrator of A Normal Pig and All Eyes on Ozzy!, and the illustrator of numerous other picture books, including Noodlephant by Jacob Kramer, Does a Bulldozer Have a Butt? and I Made These Ants Some Underpants by Derick Wilder, and The Brilliant Ms. Bangle by Cara Devins. She is a recipient of the James Marshall Fellowship at the University of Connecticut and the Ezra Jack Keats/Kerman Memorial Fellowship at the University of Minnesota. Born in Charlton, Massachusetts, she now lives in Lausanne, Switzerland.