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The Wolf, the Duck, and the Mouse
A New York Times bestseller!
This is a story about a duck and mouse who get swallowed by a wolf, and then decide to live in his belly.
Early one morning a mouse met a wolf
and was quickly gobbled up.
When a woeful mouse is swallowed by a wolf, he quickly learns he is not alone: a duck has already set up digs, and, boy, has that duck got it figured out! Turns out it’s pretty nice in there, with delicious food and elegant table settings, courtesy of the wolf’s unchecked gluttony. And there’s something even better: no more fear of being eaten by a wolf! In fact, life is pretty good, until a hunter shows up. . . . With a nod to traditional fables and a wink to the reader, the award-winning Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen offer a tale of cooperation and creative cuisine that is sure to go down easy.
This is a story about a duck and mouse who get swallowed by a wolf, and then decide to live in his belly.
Early one morning a mouse met a wolf
and was quickly gobbled up.
When a woeful mouse is swallowed by a wolf, he quickly learns he is not alone: a duck has already set up digs, and, boy, has that duck got it figured out! Turns out it’s pretty nice in there, with delicious food and elegant table settings, courtesy of the wolf’s unchecked gluttony. And there’s something even better: no more fear of being eaten by a wolf! In fact, life is pretty good, until a hunter shows up. . . . With a nod to traditional fables and a wink to the reader, the award-winning Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen offer a tale of cooperation and creative cuisine that is sure to go down easy.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published October 10, 2017
13 people are currently reading
1818 people want to read
About the author
Mac Barnett
92 books1,331 followersBorn to non-farmers in a California farming community, Mac Barnett now lives near San Francisco. He's on the board of directors of 826LA, a nonprofit writing center for students in Los Angeles, and he founded the Echo Park Time Travel Mart, a convenience store for time travelers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 642 reviews
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December 8, 2017After reading a delightful and positive review here I couldn't resist picking up this book. I love children's stories with animals and nature and am a huge fan of wolves and stories featuring mice. The duck was not so important but hey, the duck turned out to be the key player in this story so...
What did I think? I absolutely loved the illustrations, drawing, and color tones. The eyes of the wolf were a bit off for me and not exactly what I would picture them as being. It's always difficult to judge how a picture book will sit with children and I truly wonder at this one. All I know is that if I had read this as a child it would have made me anxious. As an adult I probably took it too seriously and did not like it. I'm certain others will love it. Do let me know.
What did I think? I absolutely loved the illustrations, drawing, and color tones. The eyes of the wolf were a bit off for me and not exactly what I would picture them as being. It's always difficult to judge how a picture book will sit with children and I truly wonder at this one. All I know is that if I had read this as a child it would have made me anxious. As an adult I probably took it too seriously and did not like it. I'm certain others will love it. Do let me know.
February 21, 2024
بخدا هیچوقت نمیتونم منظورتو درست بفهمم
April 21, 2018
Jon Klassen is a much better illustrator than author and works well with Mac Barnett. This is a funny story, I wasn't expecting to like this, it starts with a mouse getting eaten by a wolf. I thought that this was going to be one of those teach-you-a-lesson books but as soon as the mouse reaches the wolf's stomach it finds a duck living there, complete with kitchen, table, chairs and record player, you realise the tone of the book is happy and funny and nothing unsuitable for small children. The mouse and duck soon agree that life in the inside isn't too bad, for one thing you no longer have to worry about getting eaten. Their partying leads to wolf stomach ache and there are some lovely facial expressions from the wolf, there's a nice ending even though a hunter with a gun is involved! Creative and funny!
March 29, 2024
داستان جالبی بود. به نظرم کلی تحلیل فلسفی و روانشناختی میشه کرد کتابهای این بشر رو. واقعاً عجیبه!
این بار همون اول داستان رو برای برادر هفت سالم خوندم. برعکس چیزی که من فکر میکردم، خیلی با داستان خندید و خیلی دوستش داشت.
این بار همون اول داستان رو برای برادر هفت سالم خوندم. برعکس چیزی که من فکر میکردم، خیلی با داستان خندید و خیلی دوستش داشت.
October 13, 2017
Reviewed by Stacey on www.whisperingstories.com
One day a wolf found a mouse and gobbled him up. When the mouse reached the wolf’s stomach, he discovered that he wasn’t alone, there was a duck asleep in bed.
Duck was surprised to see Mouse, as much as Mouse was surprised to see Duck. It did not take the two long to become good friends. The two of them cooked together, ate wonderful meals together and had fun. However, all their fun made the wolf sick, which in turn made him unable to run away from the hunter who wanted to kill him.
But Duck and Mouse had a plan to scare the hunter off, but it would mean that they had to leave the place they now called home.
The Wolf, the Duck and the Mouse, is a very unusual book in which two of the characters are eaten by the third, but rather than be sad about it or die, they enjoy living inside the wolf.
The illustrations by Jon Klassen suit the story perfectly with his unusual style of drawing, almost like rough sketching, or a first draft.
The book is a wonderful read, and will have children enthralled in the three animal’s adventures. It also explains (not factually), why wolves howl.
November 30, 2017
Utterly bonkers in the very best way. What would you do if you were a little mouse who had found himself swallowed by a wolf? Despair of course! But fear not, for there's a friendly duck sat there in the belly of beast...and he owns a vintage turntable to boot. As with all of those collaborations between Barnett and Klassen so much of the humour comes from knowing that they both know something that we can't quite put our finger on. Unlike the Hat books, Klassen has moved further into the Triangle arena and begun to build up more of an environment and the book is all the better for it. The fairy-tale/fable-like quality of the story is there to be subverted and hilarisised (in good spirit, I made this word up) and Barnett does so with so much wit. My favourite line of the whole book is duck's quip: "I live well! I may have been swallowed, but I have no intention of being eaten."
October 1, 2019
In Marc Barnett’s quirky The Wolf, the Duck, and the Mouse, being gobbled up alive and whole by a gluttonous wolf turns out not to be the doom and gloom scenario a diminutive mouse fears, as indeed both the mouse and the duck (who is already a resident of the wolf’s insides) actually do have a pretty comfortable and easy existence inside of the wolf’s belly. That is, of course, until they both feast and frolic a bit too rambunctiously and the wolf’s resultant major stomach pains and groans not only incapacitate him but also attract the unwelcome attention of a hunter. Will Duck and Mouse be able to save both the wolf and by this also their home?
A fun and engaging original pourquoi type of tale of why wolves supposedly have to howl at the moon every night, and where delightfully, it is also not the wolf but the hunter who appears and acts as the main villain, I most definitely have very much enjoyed the combination of Marc Barnett’s verbally fun and at times delightfully ironic presented narrative and Jon Klassen’s accompanying artwork (which while a bit too dark and one-dimensional to be an aesthetic favourite is nevertheless expressively detailed and as such also very much a perfect mirror to and for Barnett’s text, both complementing it and also often with visual force much expanding on it). And yes, I also do love love love what I tend to call inverted fairy and folktales, and having the hunter as the main and true villain of The Wolf, the Duck, and the Mouse is both hilarious and makes me smile with appreciation, as I have never really all that much enjoyed the big bad wolf tales of yore (but yes, I equally do appreciate how in Marc Barnett’s narrative, the wolf is still a bit of a greedy predator and that the true heroes of The Wolf, the Duck, and the Mouse are not whom you would generally expect and consider). Perfect for a read-aloud is The Wolf, the Duck, and the Mouse and in my opinion especially so for children who are either sick and tired of or frustrated and annoyed with those traditional wolf-oriented folklore offerings where the wolf is generally depicted and condemned as the total epitome of evil and terror and the hunter often feted and celebrated as the absolute epitome of heroic bravery and goodness!
A fun and engaging original pourquoi type of tale of why wolves supposedly have to howl at the moon every night, and where delightfully, it is also not the wolf but the hunter who appears and acts as the main villain, I most definitely have very much enjoyed the combination of Marc Barnett’s verbally fun and at times delightfully ironic presented narrative and Jon Klassen’s accompanying artwork (which while a bit too dark and one-dimensional to be an aesthetic favourite is nevertheless expressively detailed and as such also very much a perfect mirror to and for Barnett’s text, both complementing it and also often with visual force much expanding on it). And yes, I also do love love love what I tend to call inverted fairy and folktales, and having the hunter as the main and true villain of The Wolf, the Duck, and the Mouse is both hilarious and makes me smile with appreciation, as I have never really all that much enjoyed the big bad wolf tales of yore (but yes, I equally do appreciate how in Marc Barnett’s narrative, the wolf is still a bit of a greedy predator and that the true heroes of The Wolf, the Duck, and the Mouse are not whom you would generally expect and consider). Perfect for a read-aloud is The Wolf, the Duck, and the Mouse and in my opinion especially so for children who are either sick and tired of or frustrated and annoyed with those traditional wolf-oriented folklore offerings where the wolf is generally depicted and condemned as the total epitome of evil and terror and the hunter often feted and celebrated as the absolute epitome of heroic bravery and goodness!
January 9, 2021
I love it because it's original, and therefore of great interest, providing fodder for discussion and the potential to introduce a new line of creative styles. Much as, say, the first Impressionist painters did. If it were not the first of its kind, I might not like it so much. Then again, the details of add so much that it's just irresistible and likely to remain so even compared to (predicted) competition.
Kind of sort of especially for boys, in the sense that Battle Bunny and others by Jon Scieszka are.
Reread. So, is it comedy? (And if so, satire or slapstick?) Metaphor? (If so, of what?) A pourquoi story? (There is a statement at the end, "And that's why...." Or is it all of the above?
A surreal masterpiece that I probably ought to buy.
And yes, I'm a big fan of the author and will continue to read all his books.
Reread Jan 2021. My 24 yo son is currently working in a library. He covered this purchase and was intrigued enough to read it... then thought it interesting enough to bring home for me to read. He's a pretty cool kid, so thoughtful and smart!
Kind of sort of especially for boys, in the sense that Battle Bunny and others by Jon Scieszka are.
Reread. So, is it comedy? (And if so, satire or slapstick?) Metaphor? (If so, of what?) A pourquoi story? (There is a statement at the end, "And that's why...." Or is it all of the above?
A surreal masterpiece that I probably ought to buy.
And yes, I'm a big fan of the author and will continue to read all his books.
Reread Jan 2021. My 24 yo son is currently working in a library. He covered this purchase and was intrigued enough to read it... then thought it interesting enough to bring home for me to read. He's a pretty cool kid, so thoughtful and smart!
January 13, 2025
خب خب عجب لقمهایه این یه ذره کتاب.
زودی بگیرین ببینیدش.!
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.
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برداشت هرکسی حتما متفاوته، چیزی که من دریافت میکنم شور خلاقیته در پیچیدگی روان آدم.
نمیخوام اسپویلش کنم. اما نشونهای از ترسارو میبینیم که وقتی باهاش مواجه میشیم میبینیم توش بودن/ مواجه بودن باهاش چقدر بهتره از دور بودن ازش. و کشف و پذیرش مختصات زندگیت میتونه یه دنیای دیگه باشه، دیگه نه از کسی حرص و لج و کینه و خشم داری نه از خودت. دیگه یاد میگیری چجوری لذت ببری.
با تمام قلبم دوست دارم هدیش کنم به عزیزانم🥲
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از اینجا میتونین pdfشو بردارین.
https://t.me/nazaninketab
زودی بگیرین ببینیدش.!
.
.
.
برداشت هرکسی حتما متفاوته، چیزی که من دریافت میکنم شور خلاقیته در پیچیدگی روان آدم.
نمیخوام اسپویلش کنم. اما نشونهای از ترسارو میبینیم که وقتی باهاش مواجه میشیم میبینیم توش بودن/ مواجه بودن باهاش چقدر بهتره از دور بودن ازش. و کشف و پذیرش مختصات زندگیت میتونه یه دنیای دیگه باشه، دیگه نه از کسی حرص و لج و کینه و خشم داری نه از خودت. دیگه یاد میگیری چجوری لذت ببری.
با تمام قلبم دوست دارم هدیش کنم به عزیزانم🥲
.
.
از اینجا میتونین pdfشو بردارین.
https://t.me/nazaninketab
August 12, 2022
In a wood, dark & dreary wanders a wolf who gobbles up a mouse. Inside the wolf, in the dark of its tummy, sleeps a duck who made the hollow place their home. Together they wonder at the vast array of objects they find inside the wolf & they decide that living on the inside is better than on the outside. Together these little creatures sing songs & dance around the wolf’s tummy, then they gather more comforts to make their little corner a safe home.
This was a funny little story with characters who charter sarcasm & tricks in good faith. The introduction of the hunter adds an element of suspense—will the wolf become what he had intended of the mouse & the duck?
This style of book reminds me of some of the ones I used to enjoy as a young child & the way this story is presented, alongside the illustrations done by Jon Klassen, truly brings the book together to form something quite quirky. This is the perfect book to read as an introduction to elaborating the concept of thinking outside the box; exploring different laneways & confronting what might initially seem scary, & turning it into something humorous instead.
One might find themselves rooting for the success of every character—save the hunter for, who could really bear to part with the wolf who carries the others safely with him through the deep, dark woods? This is a sweet & funny tale of friendship, adventure & intrigue.
Thank you to Edelweiss+, Candlewick Press & Mac Barnett for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
This was a funny little story with characters who charter sarcasm & tricks in good faith. The introduction of the hunter adds an element of suspense—will the wolf become what he had intended of the mouse & the duck?
This style of book reminds me of some of the ones I used to enjoy as a young child & the way this story is presented, alongside the illustrations done by Jon Klassen, truly brings the book together to form something quite quirky. This is the perfect book to read as an introduction to elaborating the concept of thinking outside the box; exploring different laneways & confronting what might initially seem scary, & turning it into something humorous instead.
One might find themselves rooting for the success of every character—save the hunter for, who could really bear to part with the wolf who carries the others safely with him through the deep, dark woods? This is a sweet & funny tale of friendship, adventure & intrigue.
Thank you to Edelweiss+, Candlewick Press & Mac Barnett for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
February 4, 2022
Love the humor and story behind why the wolf howls at the moon. Goddaughter and I really enjoyed this book, and it was great way to show her why making the best out of tough situations.
April 10, 2019
Surreal and ludicrous and utterly amusing, what happens when your worst fears come true? In this case a little mouse's fear of being eaten by a wolf - well you live happily every after with a duck of course!
Loved it!
Loved it!
November 8, 2017
An absolutely gorgeous picture book. Good story that I wish was a little longer. Is it Caldecott worthy? You bet it is!
April 11, 2025
اولش فکر کردم میخواد این رو برسونه که حتی توی موقعیتهای بد و دردسرهایی که زندگی پیش پات میذاره، سعی کن اوضاع رو به نفع خودت تغییر بدی و همچنان از زندگی لذت ببری ولی یهو داستان جوری پیش رفت که انگار اُردک و موش به شرایطشون عادت کرده بودن و ترجیح دادن همچنان توی اون موقعیت بمونن.
+ دلت برای آن بیرون تنگ میشود؟
- نه، نمیشود. وقتی بیرون از اینجا بودم، مدام میترسیدم مبادا گرگ یه لقمهی چپم کند. اینجا از این ترسها ندارم.
یعنی اینکه توی اون موقعیتی که ازش میترسیده بمونه رو به رها شدن از اون موقعیت ترجیح میده. نه چون اون موقعیت اونقدرها هم که فکر میکرده، ترسناک نبوده، بلکه مشکلش خودِ "ترس"ئه. هیچوقت به این فکر نکرده بود.
+ دلت برای آن بیرون تنگ میشود؟
- نه، نمیشود. وقتی بیرون از اینجا بودم، مدام میترسیدم مبادا گرگ یه لقمهی چپم کند. اینجا از این ترسها ندارم.
یعنی اینکه توی اون موقعیتی که ازش میترسیده بمونه رو به رها شدن از اون موقعیت ترجیح میده. نه چون اون موقعیت اونقدرها هم که فکر میکرده، ترسناک نبوده، بلکه مشکلش خودِ "ترس"ئه. هیچوقت به این فکر نکرده بود.
February 21, 2020
Creative, interesting, and delightful! Loved this folktale/fairytale.
December 17, 2023
بامزه و دوست داشتنی بود 😍
November 28, 2017
The duck and mouse are shenanigans incarnate.
February 26, 2021
This picturebook is a bizarre story about a wolf with poor digestion. How poor? The Little-Red-Riding-Hood-caliber poor.
You can pick your own interpretation. The Wolf, the Duck, & the Mouse is:
a) a meditation on what happens when your worst nightmare becomes reality. First of all, you don't have to worry anymore about it happening: it already did. And it might not be that bad after all... :)
b) a cautionary tale about the consequences of not chewing properly and eating junk (think: a tablecloth, kitchenware, patephone, beeswax candles, dining table, etc.). But mostly not chewing properly.
c) a pourquoi tale that explains why wolves howl
One thing is unarguable: it's classic Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen :)
You can pick your own interpretation. The Wolf, the Duck, & the Mouse is:
a) a meditation on what happens when your worst nightmare becomes reality. First of all, you don't have to worry anymore about it happening: it already did. And it might not be that bad after all... :)
b) a cautionary tale about the consequences of not chewing properly and eating junk (think: a tablecloth, kitchenware, patephone, beeswax candles, dining table, etc.). But mostly not chewing properly.
c) a pourquoi tale that explains why wolves howl
One thing is unarguable: it's classic Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen :)
May 17, 2019
This book reminds me more of a folktale about why a wolf howls. The wolf swallows a mouse, who, in turn, meets a duck in the wolf's stomach. The duck shows the mouse what a fun and better place is the inside of a wolf. When the wolf is threatened by a hunter, the mouse and duck defend their home. When the threat has passed, the wolf grants the duck and the mouse whatever favor they want. They ask to be swallowed by the wolf again.
The illustrations remind me of marker coloring. They are vivid and compliment the text perfectly. Recommended for kindergarten and up.
The illustrations remind me of marker coloring. They are vivid and compliment the text perfectly. Recommended for kindergarten and up.
May 19, 2024
You'd think being gobbled by a wolf would be the end of the story, but that's just the beginning here.
So bizarre, so hilarious.
So bizarre, so hilarious.
September 11, 2019
I dunno, man, this author/illustrator combo is probably the best thing to happen to modern children's books and that's that on that. They're so freaking funny and bizarre, and this book is a great (and surprisingly dark) example of their capabilities together. I was reading this aloud to my son last night and my spouse even got super into it and was commenting on it, if that tells you anything about how much all-ages appeal I think Barnett & Klassen have together.
November 1, 2017
This book is fine, and the illustrations are great, but I'm not sure who the target audience is. Are children supposed to understand that a nice dinner includes good cheese, a "flagon of wine" and some beeswax candles? Do children know what wraiths are? It's a good idea and I love an origin-type story (why the wolf howls at the moon), but I think this one was a miss.
October 9, 2021
Funny. I saw a kids book at the library titled
I Am Enough
and threw up in my mouth a little. My girls like this kind of book much better.
November 17, 2017
I had the EXTREME PRIVILEGE of hearing the author and illustrator read this book at NCTE 2017. Magnificent artists sharing a work of genius.
December 31, 2018
When a mouse is gobbled up by a wolf, at first he thinks that it is a catastrophe. Then he meets the duck who lives quite happily in the wolf's belly, and gains a new perspective - just because one has been swallowed, it doesn't follow that one should be eaten...
And so begins this surreally amusing adventure from author Mac Barnett and illustrator Jon Klassen, who have collaborated before on such titles as Extra Yarn and Sam and Dave Dig a Hole . Although I appreciated the humor in Barnett's text, the real stand-out for me, in The Wolf, the Duck & the Mouse was Klassen's gorgeous artwork, which never fails to impress me with its expressive beauty. Although his imitators are legion at this point, nobody does stylized sepia-toned illustrations like Klassen! Recommended to Klassen (and Barnett) fans, and to anyone looking for children's stories with a somewhat quirky, oddball sense of humor.
And so begins this surreally amusing adventure from author Mac Barnett and illustrator Jon Klassen, who have collaborated before on such titles as Extra Yarn and Sam and Dave Dig a Hole . Although I appreciated the humor in Barnett's text, the real stand-out for me, in The Wolf, the Duck & the Mouse was Klassen's gorgeous artwork, which never fails to impress me with its expressive beauty. Although his imitators are legion at this point, nobody does stylized sepia-toned illustrations like Klassen! Recommended to Klassen (and Barnett) fans, and to anyone looking for children's stories with a somewhat quirky, oddball sense of humor.
November 2, 2017
How does Mac Barnett find the time to keep cranking out such great material? The Wolf, The Duck, and The Mouse is his fifth picture book of this year alone. Five books in one year?!?!?! That’s crazy prolific! And this one is probably my favorite all, which is saying something, seeing as Triangle, another collaboration with illustrator Jon Klassen that came out a mere 7 months ago, was already high on my list of Best Books of 2017.
The Wolf, The Duck, and The Mouse combines Barnett’s signature zany deadpan humor with the timeless qualities of folk and fairy tales. The story follows the three titular animals through a wild adventure in the woods. The mouse and duck go into the belly of the beast, as it were, and battle a mighty foe before being granted a final favor. I won’t give away more details than that, except to say you’ll be chuckling madly to yourself while repeating the line “Oh woe! Oh woe!” over and over again long after you’ve finished the book.
As with the best picture books, not a word is wasted nor an image out of place. The jokes are effortless, the drawings are expressive and brimming with character, and the text and pictures complement each other wonderfully. My kids laughed out loud and asked for repeated readings. After reading it to them multiple times I still went back to read it again by myself, just so I could savor the craftsmanship of two great artists coming together to make magic. I have a feeling we’ll be rereading this one for years to come. It’s just about perfect.
-John D.
Click here to find the book at the Prince William County Public Library System.
The Wolf, The Duck, and The Mouse combines Barnett’s signature zany deadpan humor with the timeless qualities of folk and fairy tales. The story follows the three titular animals through a wild adventure in the woods. The mouse and duck go into the belly of the beast, as it were, and battle a mighty foe before being granted a final favor. I won’t give away more details than that, except to say you’ll be chuckling madly to yourself while repeating the line “Oh woe! Oh woe!” over and over again long after you’ve finished the book.
As with the best picture books, not a word is wasted nor an image out of place. The jokes are effortless, the drawings are expressive and brimming with character, and the text and pictures complement each other wonderfully. My kids laughed out loud and asked for repeated readings. After reading it to them multiple times I still went back to read it again by myself, just so I could savor the craftsmanship of two great artists coming together to make magic. I have a feeling we’ll be rereading this one for years to come. It’s just about perfect.
-John D.
Click here to find the book at the Prince William County Public Library System.
May 13, 2025
13 May 2025
I don't know how I missed this, unless it was just always checked out. I may like it more than Sam and Dave.
Library copy
I don't know how I missed this, unless it was just always checked out. I may like it more than Sam and Dave.
Library copy
July 23, 2020
Great art, great colors and an hilarious story.
November 19, 2025
Creative and funny indeed!!
November 15, 2025
my besties
Displaying 1 - 30 of 642 reviews