The Scallywags

by David Melling

The Scallywags are a pack of wolves. When they aren't being lazy and shiftless, they spend the day jumping around and clowning around and getting into all kinds of mischief. They make a lot of noise and throw their food around and make general nuisances of themselves. They annoy all the other animals and show the entire world that they simply don't know how to behave. But after one particularly rowdy episode, the Scallywags learn that if being rowdy means losing your friends, maybe it's time to start practicing some manners. Very funny color illustrations on every page.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Humor, Friendship, Wolves, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2006

About the author

David Melling grew up in London with various siblings and a selection of animals, including a dog. It took him a while to decide what he wanted to do, but he never stopped drawing. He worked as a cel renderer and background artist in several animation studios before he began illustrating children’s books. His work includes the Hugless Douglas series and The Kiss That Missed, which was short-listed for the Kate Greenaway Medal. To date he has created around 150 books in over thirty languages. David Melling lives in Oxfordshire, England, with his wife and two children.

Reviews

[Hayat · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter challenged me to read this funny children's story and it turns out, she was right - I loved the naughty scallywags.

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

What happens when an ill-mannered wolf pack decides to change its ways, and become the very model of modern mannerly creatures? A very funny tale with swell artwork by the author. I'm definitely on the lookout for more of Melling's books.

[Casle · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was so much fun to read this with Jafar and look at all the details in the pictures. There are so many funny things to see and enjoy. And the message? Manners are good, but people are who they are and manners are not as important as being true to yourself.

[Linda Lipko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meet the scallywags; they are a might stinky, loud, obnoxious, uncouth band of wolves who seem to ruin a good time wherever they go.

Weary of their shananigans, the other forest animals vow to avoid them. No longer invited to play time, dinner or any time when the animals are together, the scallywags try to change their wicked ways.

Modeling the others, they take baths, the iron their clothes and they put their pinkies in the air. Using a toothbrush, a comb and dressing neatly, the were invited back in the group. Shoe now on the other foot, the scallywags blatantly tell the forest animals to mind their manners and act politely.

Realizing how very much their old friends the scallywags were missed, with great delight, the animals celebrated the fact that all too soon the scallyways just couldn't help but revert to their nature, ,

A delightful time is now had by all, including the reader of this lovely tale!

[Kwilliamson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute story about good manners and friends. The Scallywags are a family of wolves and they are always causing trouble. The last straw is when the wolves ruin the animals' group picture. The animals decide to stop inviting the wolves to their meals, playtimes, and storytimes. At first, the wolves don't mind but then they start missing their friends. They decide to learn how to behave and how to have good manners. They rejoin their friends for a meal (and the friends don't even recognize them)and the animals think the wolves have great manners. However, they don't like it when the wolves correct THEIR bad manners. A full moon approaches and the Scallywags return to their old ways and the animals are happy to have them back.

[J-Lynn Van Pelt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really fun book about how the wolves don't fit in with the rest of the civilized animal society. The story has a strong non-conformist message because when the wolves try to change, they are eventually accepted for who they are.

The illustrations are vibrant, goofy cartoons. Full, two-page spreads are filled with funny details that readers young and old will love to explore. The mischevious wolves are entertaining throughout the story and the final photograph of the entire animal village is priceless.

[Catherine Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Giraffe: The scalliwags are a bit like those monkeys. Don't tell the monkeys, but I like the scalliwags.

Elephant: Pish, Posh, I bet you'd climb that tree if you saw one. The Scalliwags should have behaved better for the photographer. I don't like smelly, naughty animals.

Giraffe: This story is a lot of fun and we like fun don't we?

Elephant: Well, yes we do. They had funny names those scalliwags.

Giraffe: I like seeing all the funny things on every page. There is a lot to look at in this fun story.

[Zoe Hickey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has an underlying message about how everyone is different but not everyone is perfect. I think it has strong links to inclusion and would like to discuss with children how they would feel if they were in the wolves shoes. I think it would be fun to do some drama surrounding the book using techniques such as conscience alley.

[Jaimie Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Scallywags are a bunch of messy noisy wolves who find it rather hard to behave properly. But as they soon discover, if it means losing your friends, then just maybe it's time to practise those manners...Only things start to get a little tiring, when they start telling everyone else what to do!

[Maddie Deacon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book highlights the importance of good manners. It includes some funny aspects a child would love. It is a more classic children's book suitable for KS1 or lower KS2.

[Carina · Rating 1 out of 5]

As a first grader, I just didn’t understand this book. It didn’t make sense and it’s weird. I picked it out at the library because of the cover, but I won’t be reading this one a second time.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

The wolves are the scallywags and they live up to their deviousness and beloved by their fellow animal acquaintances.

[Ian McHugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable tale of boisterous rats. The thought-provoking 'moral' of the story is a valuable one for parents and children alike.

[Elisabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was cute, maybe not my favorite, but it was fun.

[Olivia Dodson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is more of a 'classic' children's story book that tends to be very popular with young children due to the familiar style of writing and theme throughout the book. It highlights the theme of good manners and would be a good read for KS1 or lower KS2.

[Anne-Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Scallywags are fourteen wolves who try very hard, but haven’t got very good manners. The other animals stop asking them to join in so the Scallywags have to do something about it.

They spy on all the animals and try to replicate what they observe:

“Before long most of the wolves knew what to do with… a handkerchief, a toothbrush, and a comb. And some of them could dress nicely and say please and thank-you.”

Eventually they show their new-found manners off, but the other animals come to realise that the Scallywags were more fun when they were just being themselves.

This is a tale for older small children, from about age four up. The Scallywags do all the things that we’re not allowed to do, but they do try so very hard to show that they’re not really so bad and they mean well.

This is a beautiful book in all sorts of ways. It’s in a landscape format which makes some gorgeous panoramic spreads with lots happening in them. There are so many little details in the pictures that you can spend hours pouring over them, especially in comparing and contrasting certain spreads. The book is made from lovely matt paper which is a delight to hold too.

Fun to read (again and again), and one I think older siblings will really enjoy reading to their younger siblings. It will be an especially huge hit with boys of course but my girls love it too. There’s a sequel: The Scallywags Blow Their Top and plenty of scope for these characters, someone ought to snap up the media rights for them if they haven’t already.

The book starts with commenting on how we all know what wolves are like, don’t we? Before turning the big bad wolf assumption on its head... It could be read in conjunction with some classics like: The Three Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood, The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids, Clever Polly and the Stupid Wolf or Peter and the Wolf. It can be used as a jumping point for discussing making assumptions about people because of who they are, talking about what manners are for and why we use them, discussing what we do to fit in with others (and whether we should) and much more besides.

Review first appeared: http://childledchaos.me.uk/2012/07/06...

[Elizabeth Sherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book would be a great book to read aloud to 1st through 3rd grade students. On some pages there is a good amount of text and a lot of dialogue so I do not think that children younger than this age could follow the story. The text in the book has a playful vibe; it curves up and down, and certain words are written larger than the rest of the sentence to show emphasis. This would make the book fun for students to listen to because of the teacher constantly using different voice dynamics. The illustrations are super detailed and have a lot going on. This is a good thing for this age group because children this age usually love to explore every little thing in the picture. Due to a lot of text on each page, exploring the pictures is much easier because students will have a good amount of time to look at them before the page is turned. The pictures also tell the story wonderfully. The general meaning of the book is also a great one to be discussed in an early elementary classroom. The two main themes are friendship and manners, both of which are very important in a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd graders life. It teaches children that being completely gross and rude is not desirable in a friendship. The "Scallywags" in the story were bad-mannered characters. They became left out of all the other animals activities because of this and decided they missed their other friends so they would try to change for them. Once they become perfectly mannered wolves they go to a dinner and start calling out the other animals for their bad manners. This is a great way of showing that manners are important, but that everyone is different and should be accepted for who they are. It turned out that the other animals missed the old Scallywag ways and so they all began to have fun and be crazy together. Children would find this book very hilarious and would probably want to have it read aloud to them all the time!

[Maria Thermann · Rating 3 out of 5]

David Melling’s illustrations are delightful, but I feel this picture book is being let down by the text and message the book tries to convey. Poor choice of words – often not appropriate for the age range this book aims at – and an overall lack of understanding that children don’t get abstract concepts until they are much older turn this book into a non-starter as far as this reviewer is concerned. A picture book about manners?

If the author wanted to convey that good manners are essential if we are to get on with our family and friends, colleagues and neighbours, he failed by allowing the lovable but anarchic wolves to revert back to their true nature at the end of the story.

If the author wished to show us that only by staying true to our nature can we find happiness, then he failed, because a cease-fire and peace time with one's friends will only ever be temporary, when scallywags are allowed to behave as they wish.

Melling’s funny and beautifully executed illustrations lift the book, but they do not disguise the fact that he didn’t think the theme he wanted to convey through properly. Enjoyable, but only because of the cute wolf cubs' antics.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I sought this book out because I stumbled on a review that mentioned it points out an aspect of good manners seldom discussed: how rude it can be to point out others' shortcomings (especially in front of others). The Scallywags are general nuisances who have no social graces and no sense of punctuality. When they show up late at an event ruining the group picture, they're promptly dropped from everyone's guest list. At first it's no big deal but, eventually, the wolves decide games and activities are just more fun when everyone's included. They learn their manners and other functions of civil living (although the idea behind brushing your teeth gets a little skewed) and go to visit the other animals. The other animals don't recognize them at first and are happy to welcome such clean and shining guests but wait! These "newcomers" appear to be the manner police and no one is measuring up. They come to the opinion that these newcomers may be cleaner and better dressed than the Scallywags but at least the wolves were fun!

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best for kids ages 5 and up.
Early Literacy Skills: Vocabulary, Narrative Skills

From cover:
When the Scallywags aren't being lazy and shiftless, they spend the day jumping around and clowning around and getting into all kinds of mischief. They make a lot of moise and throw their food around and make general nuisances of themselves. They annoy all the other animals and show the entire world that they simply don't know how to behave. But on one occasion, the Scallywags really overdo it. Now, it seems that they're about to lose all of their friends.

Humorous illustrations make this story a great read aloud with kids.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

When the Scallywags aren't being lazy and shiftless, they spend the day jumping around and clowning around and getting into all kinds of mischief. They annoy all of the other animals and show the entire world that they simply don't know how to behave. But on one occasion they really overdo it. Now, it

[Finley · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one wasn't a favorite for me, though my daughter enjoyed it more than I did (at age 2.5). I thought it was a bit heavy handed in the telling and I didn't care for the rudeness of all of the animals (regular and scallywag alike). It made it hard for her to pick up the lesson even with the preachy storytelling.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the animals were fed up with the Scallywags, a family of wolves, because of their noisiness, smelliness, messiness, rudeness, and more! They were too late for a group photo, and the other animals decided to not invite them to anything anymore. The Scallywags decided to change their ways so their friends would like them again. Funny story with great illustrations.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun story about manners and friendship, featuring a group of lovable, rascally wolves. The narrative is entertaining and the illustrations are comic and hilarious. We enjoyed reading this story together.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The wolves known as the Scallywags were so rude and disgusting that the other animals decided not to invite them to any other events. Things were not the same without their friends, so the Scallywags planned to spy on them so they could surprise their friends with their good manners.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

My daughter chose this from the libray and it was such a cute story about accepting the differences in others. When we finished reading the book, she told me that even though the wolves were sometimes naughty, they still had good hearts. I can't ask for more than that right??

[Jessica Herd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is super cute. It has wonderful pictures. I love the way the text is set up. It is kind of funky to where I think it would be hard for a younger child to read alone. It is a great book to read to a classroom though.

[Wilde Sky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This children’s story, where a group of wolves become respectable and boring, had good illustrations and a reasonable plot line – but I’m not sure all parents will agree that being respectable and boring is a bad thing.

[The Brothers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Those wolves, the Scallywags, have no manners! So, the other animals decide to exclude them. The Scallywags try to improve themselves, but in the end everyone agrees that a little wildness can be fun.

Fabulous illustrations.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

The kiddo liked this more than I did. It was cute, and a good lesson about not overdoing it with the manners. Didn't move the earth for me though.