Wow Wow and Haw Haw

by George Murray, Michael Pittman (Illustrator)

Wow Wow the fox pup has learned a lot about the hows and whys of being a fox. He knows how to hunt and hide, and he’s very proud of his red and white and black fur. But he doesn’t know much about fleas, until the day he wakes up feeling very, very itchy. Haw Haw the crow offers her friendship and guidance in this charming adaptation of the Celtic legend, How The Fox Lost His Fleas. Murray’s playful rhyme and repetition, set against a backdrop of Pittman’s lush paintings, will make Wow Wow and Haw Haw an instant classic and a favourite among small children and early readers alike.

Genres: Picture Books

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

George Murray (born 1971), is a Canadian poet.

Murray was the editor of the literary blog Bookninja, a contributing editor at Maisonneuve magazine, and a contributing editor at several literary magazines and journals. After several years abroad in rural Italy and New York City, in 2005 he returned to Canada. He now lives in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. In 2014, Murray was appointed Poet Laureate of St. John's, NL

Murray's 2007 book, The Rush to Here, a sequence of 57 sonnets, reworks a number of traditional forms (Petrarchan, Spenserian, Shakesperian sonnets) into a new rhyme scheme that employs what the poet refers to as "thought-rhyme", conceptual and semantic pairings that work on the level of synonym, antonym and homonym to create intertextual meaning, as opposed to the sound bonding of traditional aural rhyme. His latest book, Whiteout: Poems, was published in April, 2012.

Murray is married to writer Elisabeth de Mariaffi.

Reviews

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow Wow the fox cub knew all kinds of helpful things, but the day he realized he had biting fleas in his beautiful coat he didn't know what to do about them. Haw Haw the crow found his attempts very funny, and soon showed him a clever way to get rid of them.
Entertaining, cute story and nicely illustrated.

[Wren · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute picture book based on a Celtic legend. The prose makes this a good story to read aloud. It's also a good lesson for young children about problem-solving and helping others.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly charming and one of the few examples of a picture book based on a Celtic legend. Wow Wow the fox has a problem, his lovely fur is full of fleas. They make him itch to no end, and no matter how much he scratches or what he tries, he just can't get rid of them. Along comes Haw Haw the crow, attracted by the cries "Wow Wow" and "Ow Ow", she can't help but be amused by the sight. Nevertheless, she decides to give some friendly advice. Neither animal can speak the language of the other, so Haw Haw must demonstrate the actions to take. This kind-hearted tale is portrayed in beautiful paints. Multicoloured backgrounds have two elements to them, one of washed out watercolour layers, and the other with bold strokes from a large painter's brush. Cross-hatching adds texture to this. The fox and crow almost look fuzzy in their solid red and black, and while their faces portray little, the writer has created an expressive text full of details that are essential to our understanding of the crow who can only exclaim "Haw Haw", as well as in making us sympathize with the poor fox.

[Carrie Gelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the illustrations in this story and know that students will completely engage in this tale. Great read aloud potential.

[Andrea Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations are glorious to look at and the story itself; wonderful lessons in self-determination and learning from another. Lovely, lovely, lovely.

[Sue Mosher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story but it's about fleas, so I didn't want to read it more than once. :-)