The Boy Who Cried Wolf

by B.G. Hennessy, Boris Kulikov (Illustrator)

"Nothing ever happens here," the shepherd thinks. But the bored boy knows what would be exciting: He cries that a wolf is after his sheep, and the town's people come running. How often can that trick work, though?

B.G. Hennessy's retelling of this timeless fable is infused with fanciful whimsy through Boris Kulikov's hilarious and ingenious illustrations. This tale is sure to leave readers grinning sheepishly.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fables, Folklore, Fiction, Animals, Classics

40 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2006

About the author

A LITTLE ABOUT ME

As a child I loved to draw-but I also loved books, especially picture books. I still remember certain illustrations, covers and bindings from books that were read to me as a young girl.
I’ve lived in many places: I grew up in Wantagh on Long Island, N.Y., graduated from Northfield Mount Hermon School in Massachusetts and attended St. Lawrence University in upstate New York.

At the University of Wisconsin in Madison, I majored in fine art and learned how to design, print and bind handmade books. I also took courses in Children’s Literature. The combination of form and content in the picture book format fascinated me and after graduation I headed for NYC where I worked for 17 years in children’s book publishing as a designer and art director. But I didn’t begin to write until I had children of my own.

My books have been published in many countries and in many different languages. You can find my books in the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Africa and Germany. Some of my books have been translated into German, French, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Afrikaans, Xhosa, Tswana, Sesotho, and Zulu!

I now live with my family in Arizona. You can read more about me at my website: www.bghennessy.com

Reviews

[LaDonna · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.512 STARS...worthy of being rounded up.

Who does not know the story about the boy who cried wolf?

Who does not know the lesson about telling the truth and not misleading others?

Who has not had someone say, "Don't be like the little boy who cried wolf?"

Exactly...we all know about the story. We all know its moral.

So, the question becomes: Does B.G. Hennessy add anything new to the conversation? No, not really. But, I must give her credit--the illustrator she selected is WONDERFUL!! Boris Kulikov's illustrations for this version of the tale offer so much. They help Hennessy's words come alive. There is no way you will not have several hearty laughs after the reading Hennessy's interpretation and seeing Kulikov's pictures.

Check it out for yourself. I do not think you will be too disappointed.

[Clay Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story with a good moral, the ending in this version is open ended.

[L.A. James · Rating 5 out of 5]

The pictures go very well with the story. You are sure to have a giggle from looking at the art.

[Keziah Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author B. G. Hennessy and Illustrator Boris Kulikov (2006). Kulikov illustrates a funny version of this classic Aesop Fable. He provides large, watercolor images of a young disconnected, nose picking, shepherd boy who struggles to entertain himself. He claims to be “SO bored” and in an attempt to create excitement he tries to teach his sheep some tricks. Unfortunately, “none of them seemed interested,” so he runs into town screaming “Wolf! Wolf! Wolf! There is a wolf after my sheep!” The sheep watch in awe as throughout the book their eyes do all the talking. Everyone you can think of runs out of town in search of the wolf. The intensity of the townspeople! It's actually quite humorous, as Kulikov provides an illustration of people of all backgrounds including a knight running in his armor, one casual man wearing a baseball cap, and a women dressed in fancy attire and heels. Each one is also holding a random weapon such as a baseball bat, an umbrella and even a barber pole. Love the illustrations as they clearly demonstrate the effect that his trick/lie has on everyone. He plays the same trick on the townspeople one more time. By the time he’s in a real state of emergency, the townspeople never arrive as, “This time, no one believed him.” Although the moral of the story is not explicitly stated, the specific facial expressions on the shepherd boy make it easy to understand: don’t tell lies. Continue lying and when you finally tell the truth, no one will believe you. Target Audience: 3-8.

[Sierra Martinez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very good but the little boy he He he he he he he he he he he he he he shows a demonstration about 1 of the girls in my elementary school classroom and 4th grade she used to always lie and nobody would trust her just like the boy who would cried wolf and when he finally did get a consequence nobody believed her I think that they're just like lying a lot and they lying and she did not learn lesson because she's just not truly a bad person.!! And not only 1 person it was 2 2 people can you believe it oh my gosh this does not make no sense and their names was journey and Dolia OK so that means that they will never land there lesson in there they're just school bullies and I understand that they might be mad about their social life but that does not mean they have to take it out on the friends as Brenna and Damian have a reading disability like slow reading but it's okay because not everybody's perfect that reading and neither is not perfect enough neither I don't have to shame about what they're good and what they're not good at it's not funny they just cross clowns it doesn't make no sense And even the teacher tells them about it they just don't make any sense like they're just called bullies and that's why they don't have no friends now they cross clowns school bullies and they're just bad people.

[Sabrina Barrientos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ratings:3.6/5
Awards:n/a
Genre:Traditional Literature
Audience:3-8 years old
Summary: The classic tale of a boy who was bored in his small little town and wanted some excitement. He kept teasing the townspeople of wolves coming until one day nobody believed him and wolves actually came.
Specific Genre Prompts:
-the main character is described as a curious bored little boy. All day all he does is watch his sheep so he wanted some excitement in his life.
-All of the “The Boy Who Cried Wolf’ stories have been similar but i remember reading one version of the story was kinda dark. In the end the wolves ended up eating the little boy.
-I definitely would use this old fable for storytelling. I had it read to me when i was younger and it always scared me about lying or exaggerating the truth to the people. My goal would not be to have the children scared but to realize the moral of the story is to always be honest and people will trust you.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Justine]

Title: The Boy Who Cried Wolf
Author: B.G. Hennessy
Illustrator: Boris Kulikuv
Genre: Fable
Theme(s): Honesty, Trust, Fable
Opening line/sentence: “There once was a shepherd.”

Brief Book Summary:
A boy tending sheep on a lonely mountainside thinks it a fine joke to cry "wolf" and watch the people come running--and then one day a wolf is really there, but no one answers his call.


Professional Recommendation/Review #1:
Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, January 15, 2006 (Vol. 74, No. 2))
Never has this favorite tale been told with such animation and charming humor. The shepherd boy is bored, really bored. He tries to teach the sheep tricks, but they aren't interested. He needs excitement so he cries WOLF and everyone comes running; then he cries TWO WOLVES, and the townsfolk run lickety-split to help again. And you know the rest of the story-on his third alarm, no response. Only this time there are THREE HUNGRY WOLVES, and the boy has to hunt all day for his missing sheep by himself. The last spread, wordless, shows the boy searching the pasture while the sheep are stacked up in a tree. Kulikov's inventive watercolor-and-gouache illustrations give "sheepish grins" new dimension, as the expressions on the animals' faces are unabashedly funny. It's the in-your-face angles and perspectives that spin the drama, from the foot-view of the boy picking his nose to sheep-leaping to a pesky fly; even the typeface name, "Uncle Stinky," fits the romp. Kids will cry for repeated readings of this amusing account.


Professional Recommendation/Review #2:
Ilene Cooper (Booklist, Feb. 1, 2006 (Vol. 102, No. 11))
Children who may have heard their parents reference the boy who cried wolf (without a clue about what they were talking about) get a very funny version of the story here. The plot is the familiar one, but humorous embellishments abound. "I am the most bored boy in the world," the shepherd says (as he's picking his nose), so, for a little excitement, he runs into the town yelling, "Wolf! Wolf! Wolf." The people answer his frenzied cries twice but ignore him the third time, when three hungry wolves actually appear. Along with the text's funny moments, Kulikov milks the situation in the art. He uses a variety of perspectives, a couple of which almost put the boy in the reader's lap, and his watercolor-and-gouache artwork teases many laughs from the sheep, whose expressions range from adoring to alarmed. This also has great energy, especially when the townspeople run hither and yon. The ending is a little flat, but at least the sheep end up in a tree rather than a wolf's stomach.


Response to Two Professional Reviews:
It was definitely obvious that the focus of this book was the illustrations. Just like the reviews say, the illustrations were very vivid and add a comedic element to the book. Kulikov “uses a variety of perspectives” and the various dimensions make the characters’ faces “unabashedly funny.” Children focus on pictures a lot when they read/are read to, so I agree with the reviews in that this book definitely succeeded in bringing the story together with the illustrations.

Evaluation of Literary Elements:
What I liked about this book was the use of various sizes and shapes of the words. When the boy yelled, the words went across the page in a zig-zag formation depicting the sound waves. The sound effect words such as “munch, munch, munch” are also in a different font, which makes it easy for young readers to distinguish between the standard narration text and the sound effects/dialogue.

Consideration of Instructional Application:
I think this book provides the opportunity to teach the importance of honesty. Students will get into groups of 5-6 and put on a skit with a plotline similar to The Boy Who Cried Wolf. At the end of each skit, students in the audience will write down on a graphic organizer what each group’s moral/lesson learned is. The activity is appropriate for grades 2-5.

[Allie McKay]

The Boy Who Cried Wolf is a fable that teaches the lesson of always telling the truth. The boy in the field with all of his sheep was bored and wanted some excitement to his day, but instead of asking someone to come be with him or find extra work to do he decided to tell a lie and cry out to his town that there was a wolf after his sheep and so all the towns people came running to help the boy find his sheep but they could not find the wolf because there was no wolf. The boy then did the same thing again and angered the towns people for wasting their time running up to the hill and searching for these said wolves that did not exist. The lesson with lying is that every lie you tell your credibility decreases and people start to question the things you say. A prime example of that situation is the next day the boy actually saw a pack of wolves in his field and called out to the town to help save his sheep but the towns people did not believe the boy because of the previous lies he told and he ended up having to do all the work himself and find all of his sheep alone all because he lied. The moral of the story is lying gets you no where and when you lie people start to not believe the words that come out of your mouth and will no longer be willing to help you.

[Oliur Rahman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A classic short story by B.G. Hennessy centred on a boy who goes out in the streets and screams 'wolf' in an attempt to drive his neighbours out of their homes to save him. Once they answer his call he laughs and mocks them. After repeating his scam three times one day the boy is really attacked and eaten up by a wolf and as he screams, no one responds. This is an excellent story for young children to be exposed to early on in their school experience to convey a powerful message. The consequence of lying and cheating continuously almost always leads to miserable outcomes.

[Allison]

Anthony

In life, some people feel bad about their granforler dieding. In the text They Just got to get ove it. At frist the villages feel Bad then They don’t. This was seen when They keep getting trick By the sheperd Boy. Also, when they don’t feel bad because They keep getting trick By the Shepherd Boy.

First, At frist the villages feel bad then they don’t when They keep getting Tricked By the Shepher Boy Because. Fo example, he keep saying Wolf Wolf Triing to stel my seep But no Wolf eneware.

In addition, At frist The villagers feel bad then They don’t when They keep getting Tricked by the shepherd Boy. For example, for the 2nd time Wolf Wolf Triing to stel my sheep But no wolf eneywere. No Wolf in the paster and in the hill. This is important because this show that villager are getting Trick. By the Shepherd Boy.

In the text The Boy who cried wolf, At frist the villagers feel bad then. This was seen when They keep getting Trick By the shepherd bow. Also, when they don’t feel bad Because The cep getting Trick By the Sheperd By. This makes me think that they don’t bleveni him. Next time, don’t lie.

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Jesus Espada

The text teaches us to never lie. The boy was in danger because he had lied way too much. Another reason is the boy lost the townsfolk trust by lying to them. Soon, he kept lying and then no one started to believe him anywhere. These are all the reason that people don’t lie because soon it would lead to serious things.

The lesson that the character learns is that lying about something will soon come back. Reason one is that he kept on lying to the townsfolk saying wolves after my sheep. For example, wolves would come after his sheep, then he would call the townsfolk but the wolves aren’t their anymore. Another example, is that they wouldn’t believe him anymore. In the text it said, “that the townsfolk would come but then soon the wolves would leave.” All of this shows how to never lie because karma would always come back to you, and one one would give you their trust.

A character trait in the text is to have honesty because lying will not get you anywhere. Not only do you lie but you have to be honest because if you’re not no one will believe you. For example, he lied to the townsfolk twice and third time he called they didn’t come at all. Another example is that soon the wolves came when the townsfolk didn’t and ate the boy and the shepherd sheep. In the text it said that the boy spent the rest of the day looking for a sheep, all by himself. All of this shows that’s how lying doesn’t get you nowhere and doesn’t protect you.

A lesson the text teaches is that lying to people you lose their trust. Not only lying won’t get you anywhere and honesty will, but you can’t lie because if you tell the truth people will believe you and protect you. For example, the boy couldn’t be trusted because he would lie but if he told the truth people will trust, him and not leave him. Another example is if he told the truth he’d have the townsfolk trust but he lied and now he doesn’t have their trust. In the text it said, ’The townsfolk came running lickety split and ran into the town.

This all shows how lying can’t get you nowhere and it will not be so good. The character learns that lying will always come back to you in the future and could lead to people not trusting you. One reason is he lied he lied to the townsfolk and no one believed him. Another example is that twice the wolves came and when the townsfolk came the wolves would leave. One more reason is that the boy lost their trust because he’s been lying all the time. This all shows, that the boy would never ever be trusted because he lied just to get help and to always protect his sheep. Next time, he he should not lie and be honest so he can once have the townsfolk trust back.

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Dontae Byfield

In life, it’s important to be free. In the text Boy Who Cried Wolf, the shepherd has a boring life. This was seen when he has to watch the sheep. Also, when he never does anything fun. Most of all, when never can’t go anywhere.

First the shepherd has a boring life when has to watch the sheep. For example every day when he wakes up the shepherd had to watch the sheep every single day. In the text it said that, “All day long all I do is watch the sheep.” And he is all alone and have nothing to do. That’s why his life is boring because everyday he has to watch the sheep.

In addition, the shepherd has a boring life. He never does anything fun. For example he does not have technology and in the text it said that, “None of my friends come to play.” This shows that he never does anything fun. If the sheep was by itself I bet you it will be crying.

Finally, the shepherd has a boring life. When he can’t never go anywhere. For example, he has to stay home and watch sheep all day long and never leaves. He never gets any freedom and freedom is good for you because you can do whatever want in life.

In the text The Boy Who Cried Wolf, the shepherd has a boring life. This was seen he never does anything fun. Most of all, when he never can’t go anywhere. This makes me think the shepherd has a poor life and I feel bad. Next time don’t’ let nobody tell you what to do. If your bored just sneak out.

[Noahan Pattet · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Boy Who Cried Wolf really stayed with me because of how clearly it shows the consequences of dishonesty. Even though it’s a simple story, it captures a truth that feels just as important today as it was when the fable was first told. What struck me most was how the boy’s small lies, told for fun and attention, slowly destroyed the trust his community had in him. When the real danger finally appears, the people ignore his cries, not out of cruelty, but because they had been misled too many times. This book was a WOW Book for me because it shows, in a way that’s easy to understand, how important it is to be responsible with our words.

The author and the fable's tradition use literary craft effectively. The repetition of the boy’s cries, “Wolf! Wolf!”, creates a rhythm and a sense of predictability, letting young readers see that his lies are becoming a pattern. The tension builds each time the villagers run to help, only to discover the trick, creating a strong emotional contrast between excitement and disappointment. Imagery is also used well: the quiet hills, the grazing sheep, and the sudden appearance of the real wolf make the final moment feel urgent and dramatic.

From an anti-bias perspective, the story supports Social Justice Books’ criteria by teaching fairness, responsibility, and awareness of community impact. It encourages children to think about how their behavior influences others and reminds them that trust is a shared value, not the property of just one person. The fable also avoids stereotypes and instead focuses on universal human behavior, making the lesson accessible to readers from all backgrounds. It promotes accountability and empathy, asking children to consider how others feel when they are misled or ignored.

This book is a WOW Book because it takes a short, familiar story and turns it into a powerful reminder about honesty, community, and the importance of being someone others can rely on. It stays with you long after reading because the lesson feels real, not just moral, but deeply human.

[Thomas Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Boy Who Cried Wolf is a children's book for ages two through seven. I enjoyed the story out of this fable. This book was written by B.G. Hennessy and illustrated by Boris Kulikov. I would give this book a four star rating. The story is original and tells a lesson. The illustrations in The Boy Who Cried Wolf are great and detailed that connect to the story.

There are many points that show how this book is a fable. I would use this genre in my classroom at some point in the school year. I honestly don't know how I would come up with a lesson to teach this. The other genres were easier to think about coming up with a lesson. If anything, I would try to explain who Aesop is and why he wrote fables, read a couple of his fables, and explain the characteristics.

Some elements of what this book gave away that tells the audience that it is a fable is that there is animals acting like people. There is always a problem in a fable. In this book there is a boy who cries that a wolf is after his sheep, and the town's people come running to help him. In a fable, there is a moral and lesson to be taught. Which in this book is that when you are honest, people will trust you. The boy lied about the wolf coming to attack the sheep because he wanted the attention and eventually the wolf did come and attack. The Boy Who Cried Wolf is fictional and a short story.

[SnoopMarkieMark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Obviously, I know the story of the boy who cried wolf, but I haven’t actually read it. So, for a class assignment I was tasked with reading children’s traditional literature that I haven’t read before. B.G. Hennessy’s writing is easy to follow and has a meter that a kid could easily enjoy. Boris Kulikov’s Art is.... well it’s kind of scary at some points and I find it to be quite bland so I couldn’t imagine what a child would think about it.

The structure and beats of the story and art are repetitive, which makes it like I said, “easy to follow,” and I could see some parts getting stuck in kids’ heads. Maybe I was just apathetic towards reading a story I already knew, but parts of it often feel uninspired or very generic whereas other parts seemed fantastical and even seemed like it had a lot of heart.

Kulikov’s Art is creepy, especially the characters and animals eyes. When people or animals are in large crowds I can’t help but feel claustrophobic and uncomfortable often which may work to the book’s strengths, but for me it just makes me uncomfortable. Overall, it’s a classic read and I can’t imagine a kid not knowing this story. However, I can’t help but feel like I need to spare some students from panic attacks...

[Josiah Traeger · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Boy Who Cried Wolf is a folktale picture book that is intended for young children ages 3-8 years old. The Boy Who Cried Wolf is about a shepherd who is bored tending his sheep so he decides that he is going to lie to his village and say that there is a wolf trying to chase his sheep. He lies about the wolf twice, then on the third day a wolf actually comes to chase his sheep and when he tries to get help from the village, no one believes him. I gave this book a five-star rating because it has a very good lesson about telling the truth and the story is complemented greatly with pictures. The pictures in this book are very effective at giving a visual to the events in the story. They are very detailed and even uses colors and an old-timey art style to make the story seem more like it happened a long time ago. The plot of this book is also very effective. It shows the consequences of lying through simple events. If I were to use this book when working with children, I would present it through a read aloud or maybe a puppet show. This book has a lot of animals which could be more appealing to see in person and catch the children’s attention. A read aloud could be good as well because the book has very good pictures in the book that complement the story.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

1. This book has not received any awards.
2. This book is appropriate for preschool-2nd grade.
3. B.G. Hennessy retells the traditional story of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" in an engaging way. The little boy is bored of sitting on the hill with only the sheep to keep him company. Instead of finding something productive to do, he decides that running into the town yelling "WOLVES WOLVES. There are wolves after my sheep!" even though there were no wolves. The townspeople get tried of his lies, and when there really are wolves, no one believes the little boy.
4. This rendition of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" is by far my favorite to date. The illustrations are relatable because of how detailed and realistic they are. The story teaches an important lesson that if you constantly lie, that one day when you need people to believe you, they will not. I also really like the font style and how the author uses that as part of the pictures.
5. Two in-class uses for this book:
-teach about onomatopoeia and have the children be able to pick out examples within the book
-Teach the children about lying, honesty, and responsibilities

[Yadira · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Boy who Cried wolf is classified as a fable. Fables are stories that often times teach a lesson of some sort. Most of the time the characters in these types of stories are animals and a lot of the time they are given human-like characteristics. These stories are not real but they are very good to use to give examples of lessons that are learned due to lies or anything else.
This book is classified as a fable because of the kid who cried wolf out of boredom. When the wolf was not behind the sheep he would cry out just for fun. Until one day it was finally real and nobody believed him. The lesson the boy learned was not to lie. These books often end with a moral and for this fable, it was "Nobody believes a liar even when he is telling the truth".
I chose this book because it has all of what makes a fable. Not only was the story good and well told, but the illustrations were very eye-catching. I also liked the moral of it because it is very true. It is a great story to read to kids at any time. This book is also a great way to teach young ones not to lie in school or anywhere else.

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Awards received?
n/a

Appropriate Grade level?
K-2

Original Summary:
Living the shepherd's life was not enjoyable for this boy. He complains that all the sheep ever do is baaa and much around, the entire day. In search of a little excitement, this little shepherd boy begins running for the two crying wolf - not once, but twice, even though there was no wolf. One day, the boys worst nightmare came true, but no one would listen.

Original Review:
As a child, this book was often used in reference whenever a lie was made. Hennessey stays true to the powerful message in this book, but adds humorous images to help move the story. This story is very easy to read and is enjoyable, especially to those who have already heard the story.

1-2 possible in-class uses:
The lesson within this book is wonderful and often needs to be taught at young ages. Having a large lesson about the harm in not telling the truth and using this book as the reading portion is a wonderful idea. Without telling the students what the lesson in the book is, ask the students to pitch in their own ideas and move from there. Students oftentimes will automatically understand that what the shepherd boy did was wrong.

[Mary Woods · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book “The Boy Who Cried Wolf,” by B.G Hennessy, is a fun dessert book that is read to children all over the world. The book is packed full of imagery and creative ideas that make the book a must read. This fable connects the reader not only with the awesome illustrations drawn by Boris Kulikov but by the creativity put into the genre elements as well.
The characters and the theme of the story are what tells us this story is a fable. The story is fictional and the characters within the story include lots of animals and forces of nature that are given human qualities. These elements can help spark creativity in young minds which is partly why I love this book so much.

I would incorporate this book into my classroom as either an interactive read aloud or a dessert book. This book as lots of discussion topics that would work really well in an interactive read aloud setting. However, this book is so much fun that I think it would work even better as a special treat for students at the end of a long day. I really enjoyed this book and will be using it in a future classroom setting.

[Leah Hahn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is about a Shepard boy who gets bored watching his sheep alone in the pasture. He tries to teach his sheep new tricks for some entertainment, but the sheep don't want anything to do with that. Then he decides that he will yell for the townspeople, pretending that he had spotted a wolf who is trying to attack his heard. The townspeople are there to help the boy search for the wolf, but there was no wolf in sight. This made the boys day much more interesting, so he decides to do it again, this time saying there are 2 wolves. The townspeople come to help the boy search for the wolves one more time, again not finding any sign of them. The Shepard boy loved the excitement of having the townspeople in his field even if he had to lie to get them there. The next day the boy was in the field, he was bored again, but then he heard the growling of a wolf, not one wolf, but three! He ran towards the town yelling for help, but this time no help came.

I would recommend this book for any young child. It teaches children to never lie/make things up.

[Kortney Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’re looking to teach a child that lying is not ok please read this book! I love this story of the boy who cried wolf by B.G Hennessy. This story was written for children to read of the ages 3-7 years old. This book has won many awards such as Buckaroo Book Award in 2007, School Library Journal in 2006, and Publishers Weekly in 2006. This story is about a young Sheppard boy who lied to the others in the town about a wolf attacking the sheep. But the young Sheppard was lying and he laughed in the people's face because he fooled the town again. I gave this book a four-star rating because it always was one of my favorites I read growing up! This book teaches a life lesson that lying to people can cause them to not believe you if a series of situation happens. At the end of the story wolfs actually come to eat his sheep and when he cried saying there were wolfs no one from the town came to help because he lied earlier in the story. This story is great to teach children that lying is not ok.

[Selene Alvarado · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is a folklore for children who range in the age 4 to 7 years old. It takes place outside a town where a boy has to care for his sheep. He finds the task to be boring and goes into town two times yelling that there are wolfs attacking his sheep. The town people come to his aid but there are not wolfs the boy only did it to get some excitement in his boring task. When he does it the third time no one comes to help him even though this time there were wolfs that wanted to eat his sheep. This is a great book to read to a child as it teaches them the importance of not lying. The Shepard boy lied to the town people and in consequence when he really did need their help they were not there for him. The author does a great job telling the story for children to be able to follow. It is easy and straight forward. He even includes the sound that the sheep make. The images are also vibrant with colors and full of detail. I rated this book a 5 stars because it is a wonderful book that has an important message for the reader. Its a book that is enjoyable to the ears and the eyes.

[Michael Lausche · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a boy who thinks he can get away with telling a particular lie, over and over again. He likes to play a trick on the town people, by crying out that a "wolf" is coming where he and his sheep are, and watch them come running for help when there really is no wolf. But, one day there actually appears to be a wolf where the boy is, but this time people do not come for help. They are so used to him telling the repetitive lie, that they will not budge to actually see if he needs help anymore. The illustrator does a great job with his drawings, showing how the boy thinks it is all fun and games with telling this lie. He is found in the book jumping over his sheep, having fun. But, things take a turn for some major problems for him. It is a great read for a valuable lesson that telling lies will not get you anywhere, but in trouble. I recommend this book for children grades kindergarten- 1st grade.

[JD JD · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Boy Who Cried Wolf by B.G. Hennessy is a twist on the classic folklore that is heard all over the world. Most of the rewritten folklore stories that I have read have really been unimpressive but this one was done in a magnificent way that in my opinion makes it stand out from others! The storyline and plot were kept the same but the location, animals, and boy’s personality were all twisted in an entertaining and comedic way. The images brought the scene to life in a somewhat cartoony fashion that I believe will entertain and attract a lot of younger readers. This is book aimed for a very young audience and I think the author executed it perfectly by the style, language, and illustrations used throughout the book! Moreover, this is a book that I would only have in my classroom if I was teaching very beginning readers. A great lesson is taught in this book and although the didactism is clear to me I don’t think it would distract the readers that this book is targeting.

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a retelling of the classic boy who cried wolf story. The young shepherd boy is bored watching his sheep all day and wants to create excitement. He decided to run to the town and say there are wolves eating his sheep. The townsfolk come running only to find there are no wolves to be found. Eventually, three wolves actually start attacking and the townsfolk do not come to help because the boy kept crying wolf.
I enjoyed reading this book, the illustrations were very cute. They filled up the whole page and were very colorful. Other than the illustrations, the story was just the typical boy who cried wolf story, there was no twist on the story or anything.
This book would be useful in teaching honesty. It teaches how important it is to always tell the truth so others will believe you when something is actually happening.

[Elizabeth Banville · Rating 4 out of 5]

1) n/a
2) Kindergarten- First grade
3) The author places this folktale during the time of the Renaissance. A bored peasant shepherd in the village gathers the villagers because he claims to see a wolf. He repeats this to entertain himself but the villagers get tired. The boy ends up seeing a real wolf but the villagers do not believe him.
4) This book is a great twist on this folktale. It can teach children to tell the truth.
5) a) The class can talk about how it is wrong to lie, and how they would have changed the boy's situation.
b) The class can talk about an make a chart about what it means to be responsible.
c) The class can be assigned weekly jobs in the classroom and write a sentence on how their responsibility helped the classroom. (line-ender helps make sure everyone is in line. sweeper helps the teacher clean up and prepares the classroom for the next day)

[McKenzie Creagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This cute story is about a boy who yells "wolf" to get his neighbors attention. This book is a fable, because it teaches a lesson. After the neighbors come running, the young boy laughs at them for being so concerned and coming to his rescue. He repeats this joke three times, until one day the boy cries "wolf" and nobody believed him because he always pulls these pranks. This time, there actually was a wolf and it gobbles the boy up. This is a good book to teach kids a lesson about telling the truth. If you continue to tell lies and make up fake stories, nobody will believe you anymore and you will be in trouble when there is a real emergency. This would be a great educational tool for teachers to use in the classroom, and incorporate other stories with a similar lesson. I think kids would enjoy this story and it would be great for a class discussion about fables!

[Carley VanEtten]

1. This book received 2 awards. The 2006 Publishers Weekly star and 2007 Buckaroo Book Award (nominee).
2. This book would be great for children in kindergarten through 2nd grade.
3. This book is about a farmer boy and how he gets bored while watching his sheep. He decides to make things interesting by going into town and crying wolf so the towns people come defend him and keep him company. Then they see that the boy is fibbing and when there actually are wolfs in his sheep pasture and he cries wolf no one believes him.
4. I think this book would be great for young children. It teaches a lot of good lessons that children should learn.
5. One of the ways you could use this book in a classroom is in the beginning of the year to teach about lying and feelings. Also, you can use this book for sequencing and comprehension.

[Keenan Story · Rating 4 out of 5]

Traditional Fantasy
Kindergarten-1st grade reading level
This is a classic folk tale about a bored shepherd boy who thinks it would be fun and exciting to lie and act as if there is a wolf to arouse the townspeople and to get them to come help. This is exciting to him, but it is not funny to the townspeople. Because of this, when there actually is a wolf, they do not believe him and want no part in it, and he is not helped or protected because of that, which he causes by his actions. I love this book for how it is fun and engaging, but also for how it teaches a valuable lesson to young readers about maturity and honesty. The boy jokes about things that should not be joked about because of immaturity, and bad things come from it. Readers may have a lot to learn from this and can certainly connect with the character of the boy.

[Morgan Wylie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: A classic story based on a young shepherd boy who was bored of watching his sheep eat every day. He wanted a little more excitement in his life. He decides to yell out wolf, but things may not end up well with this bored shepherd boy.
Evaluation: I gave this book 4 stars. The story was easy to read and entertaining. The illustrations were cute and humorous. Students would most likely enjoy reading this book. However, I feel like the book did not give very much detail. It seemed to end abruptly.
Teaching Point: This would be a useful book when teaching students about fables. Teacher can discuss the characteristics of fables and how this book fits into this genre. Teacher can also read another fable story, allowing students to compare and contrast.