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Wolf Wanted
When Manny Wolf sees an ad in the paper announcing “Wolf Wanted” he responds right away, only to realize the company is looking for a real wolf. Luckily for Manny, so many wolves respond to the ad that he is hired to answer all the letters. As Manny reads between the lines of the wolves’ letters, with their glowing descriptions of themselves, he realizes that all the applicants are famous fictional wolves! Finding no suitable candidates, Manny finally rewrites the ad, clarifying that a real wolf is needed so that a documentary can be made to show people what real wolves are like and how different they are from their big, bad fictional counterparts. Mixing fantasy and reality with zany illustrations, this hilarious story highlights the very serious risk of the extinction of wolves worldwide.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
About the author
Ana Maria Machado
316 books101 followersAna Maria Machado was born in 1941 in Rio de Janeiro and is, alongside Lygia Bojunga Nunes and Ruth Rocha, one of the most significant children's book authors in Brazil. She started her career as a painter in Rio de Janeiro and New York City. After studying Romance languages she did a PhD with Roland Barthes at the 'École pratique des hautes études' in Paris. She worked as journalist for the magazine 'Elle' in Paris and the BBC in London. In 1979, she opened the first children’s literature bookshop in Brazil, 'Malasartes'.
In 1969, Ana Maria Machado started to write. "I belong to that generation of writers who began to write during the military dictatorship, as children’s literature, alongside poetry and song texts, were amongst the few literary forms with which, through the poetic and symbolic use of language, you could make the ideas of a joie de vivre, individual freedom and respect for human rights known." Her story 'Menina Bonita do laço de fita' (1986) about a white and a black rabbit who marry and have a whole hoard of black, white and black and white patterned children, is a charming book about the living together of diverse ethnic groups. In 'Era uma vez um tirano' (1982) three children defy a tyrant who has forbidden colour, thoughts and any happiness. Without pointing fingers, Ana Maria Machado always dresses up her messages in humorous stories and trusts the ability of her young readers to also read between the lines.
Similar to many Brazilian children’s book authors of her generation, Ana Maria Machado stands in the tradition of the first great children’s book author, Jose Bento Monteiro Lobato (1882–1948). Her writing is marked, in the style of "magical realism", by a subtle mix of social satire and fantastic elements as well as a conscious and playful use of language and narrative structures. In 'História meio ao contrario' (1978), Ana Maria Machado turns the classic narrative structure of the fairy tale on its head and lets her story begin with: "And if they didn’t die, then they are still alive today" and end with "once upon a time".
In 'Bisa Bia, Bisa Bel' (1982), one of her central works, Isabell’s internal dialogue with her dead great-grandmother, Bisa Bia, and her own great-grandchild from the future, Bisa Bel, becomes a magical journey to the invisible connections between the generations, which finally allow Isabell to find her own way. For the author, fantasy also means to expand the sense for space and time and to allow reality and fantasy to mix with each other.
Just as brilliantly in ‘Palavra de Honra’ (2005, Engl: Word of Honour) Machado tells the story of a Luso-Brazilian family which has become very wealthy since their arrival in the 19th century. The reader encounters Letícia, who tries to reconstruct her own story out of the dispersed remains of the family legacy.
Ana Maria Machado has written more than hundred books for children and adults in 17 countries for which she has received the most significant Brazilian awards and many international honours. In 2000, she was awarded the 'Hans Christian Andersen Award' for her life work, the most significant international prize for youth and children’s literature. Ana Maria Machado lives with her family in Rio de Janeiro.
In 1969, Ana Maria Machado started to write. "I belong to that generation of writers who began to write during the military dictatorship, as children’s literature, alongside poetry and song texts, were amongst the few literary forms with which, through the poetic and symbolic use of language, you could make the ideas of a joie de vivre, individual freedom and respect for human rights known." Her story 'Menina Bonita do laço de fita' (1986) about a white and a black rabbit who marry and have a whole hoard of black, white and black and white patterned children, is a charming book about the living together of diverse ethnic groups. In 'Era uma vez um tirano' (1982) three children defy a tyrant who has forbidden colour, thoughts and any happiness. Without pointing fingers, Ana Maria Machado always dresses up her messages in humorous stories and trusts the ability of her young readers to also read between the lines.
Similar to many Brazilian children’s book authors of her generation, Ana Maria Machado stands in the tradition of the first great children’s book author, Jose Bento Monteiro Lobato (1882–1948). Her writing is marked, in the style of "magical realism", by a subtle mix of social satire and fantastic elements as well as a conscious and playful use of language and narrative structures. In 'História meio ao contrario' (1978), Ana Maria Machado turns the classic narrative structure of the fairy tale on its head and lets her story begin with: "And if they didn’t die, then they are still alive today" and end with "once upon a time".
In 'Bisa Bia, Bisa Bel' (1982), one of her central works, Isabell’s internal dialogue with her dead great-grandmother, Bisa Bia, and her own great-grandchild from the future, Bisa Bel, becomes a magical journey to the invisible connections between the generations, which finally allow Isabell to find her own way. For the author, fantasy also means to expand the sense for space and time and to allow reality and fantasy to mix with each other.
Just as brilliantly in ‘Palavra de Honra’ (2005, Engl: Word of Honour) Machado tells the story of a Luso-Brazilian family which has become very wealthy since their arrival in the 19th century. The reader encounters Letícia, who tries to reconstruct her own story out of the dispersed remains of the family legacy.
Ana Maria Machado has written more than hundred books for children and adults in 17 countries for which she has received the most significant Brazilian awards and many international honours. In 2000, she was awarded the 'Hans Christian Andersen Award' for her life work, the most significant international prize for youth and children’s literature. Ana Maria Machado lives with her family in Rio de Janeiro.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
May 8, 2026
With her 2010 picture book Wolf Wanted (published in 2005 as Procura-se lobo in its original Portuguese and translated into English by Elisa Amado) Brazilian children's author Ana Maria Machado's text (but of course also by extension the translator's words) accompanied by Laurent Cardon artwork combine (or rather attempt to combine) the pretty majorly divergent and unlikely themes of job hunting and wolves, with Manny Wolf (basically a human who has Wolf as a surname) being shown by Machado and Cardon in Wolf Wanted (verbally and illustratively respectively) responding to a pile of applications (and with this specifically meaning cover letters) for a job opening wanting an actual and bona fide wolf (as it turns out to help with international lupine protection, but that this actually and unfortunately is never made all that clear even by the end of Wolf Wanted).
Now Laurent Cardon's artwork for Wolf Wanted is colourfully expressive, is full of movement and humour. But well, his illustrations are (at least in my opinion) often a trifle too visually darkly hued, that in particular the various wolves with their extremely pointed noses tend to look overly parodistic and frustratingly cartoon like for my eyes and that albeit Wolf Wanted is also meant to be positive and encouraging regarding wolves as animals and to champion global conservation efforts, sorry, but Cardon's pictures of pretty much all of the wolves for Wolf Wanted, they almost always manage to look rather creepy and to be kind of oozing with aesthetic negativity and possible danger, therefore somewhat kind of the opposite of lupine rehabilitation (and that the factual information on global wolf breeds at the back of Wolf Wanted might be interesting but does not for me mesh well if at all with the text and with the illustrations proper and also bien sûr vice versa as well, not to mention that the text for the factual information on wolves and their "cousins" is printed using such a minuscule font size that even wearing my strongest reading glasses has not been all that much help, has made me only willing and able to very cursorily skim).
And just to also say that while the cover letters Laurent Cardon visually creates for Wolf Wanted (as well as Manny Wolf's many rejection letters) using depictions of notebook paper, unsteady handwriting, human resources stationery etc. are delightfully funny and that Ana Maria Machado's words from numerous wolves of literature and legend, both positive and negative make adult me totally smile (Big Bad Wolf types, wolves of diverse fables, the alpha wolf taking care of Mowgli from Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book and the wolf mother who suckled Romulus and Remus (the legendary founders of Rome) to name examples, while adult I has found all of this meta-fiction delightful, the intended audience (young children) will most likely not readily recognise many if not most of the above mentioned allusions, which would probably make for a frustrating reading experience (and yes, and as mentioned already, the environmentally conscious conclusion and the extra details, while they are informative, this does not work all that well with the combination of Marchado's words and Cardon's artwork, so that my three star rating for Wolf Wanted is indeed quite massively generous).
Now Laurent Cardon's artwork for Wolf Wanted is colourfully expressive, is full of movement and humour. But well, his illustrations are (at least in my opinion) often a trifle too visually darkly hued, that in particular the various wolves with their extremely pointed noses tend to look overly parodistic and frustratingly cartoon like for my eyes and that albeit Wolf Wanted is also meant to be positive and encouraging regarding wolves as animals and to champion global conservation efforts, sorry, but Cardon's pictures of pretty much all of the wolves for Wolf Wanted, they almost always manage to look rather creepy and to be kind of oozing with aesthetic negativity and possible danger, therefore somewhat kind of the opposite of lupine rehabilitation (and that the factual information on global wolf breeds at the back of Wolf Wanted might be interesting but does not for me mesh well if at all with the text and with the illustrations proper and also bien sûr vice versa as well, not to mention that the text for the factual information on wolves and their "cousins" is printed using such a minuscule font size that even wearing my strongest reading glasses has not been all that much help, has made me only willing and able to very cursorily skim).
And just to also say that while the cover letters Laurent Cardon visually creates for Wolf Wanted (as well as Manny Wolf's many rejection letters) using depictions of notebook paper, unsteady handwriting, human resources stationery etc. are delightfully funny and that Ana Maria Machado's words from numerous wolves of literature and legend, both positive and negative make adult me totally smile (Big Bad Wolf types, wolves of diverse fables, the alpha wolf taking care of Mowgli from Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book and the wolf mother who suckled Romulus and Remus (the legendary founders of Rome) to name examples, while adult I has found all of this meta-fiction delightful, the intended audience (young children) will most likely not readily recognise many if not most of the above mentioned allusions, which would probably make for a frustrating reading experience (and yes, and as mentioned already, the environmentally conscious conclusion and the extra details, while they are informative, this does not work all that well with the combination of Marchado's words and Cardon's artwork, so that my three star rating for Wolf Wanted is indeed quite massively generous).
March 17, 2011
This was story was clever but a tad strange, written by an author from Brazil. A company wants to hire a real wolf. Mr. Wolf, a human who kinda looks like a wolf, applies and his hired to read all the applications. Turns out they're all from fictional and fairy tale wolves, not real wolves. The letters are cleverly written to try to fool Mr. Wolf, but he's too well versed in literature to be tricked. How will he ever find a real wolf to hire, especially when real wolves can't read the add or write an application letter? Read and find out the clever solution.
November 27, 2010
Manny Wolf is hired to read and answer letters from wolves applying for the same job. The premise attracted me, but the writing never gelled and the entire book seemed like one long pointed reference to every random wolf story in history. I think this would have worked in the hands of a more capable writer, but the story fell flat.
The ending of the book explains that Manny is looking for a REAL wolf, which is hard to find because they are endangered animals. Seems like a long build-up for this important environmental message.
The ending of the book explains that Manny is looking for a REAL wolf, which is hard to find because they are endangered animals. Seems like a long build-up for this important environmental message.
March 11, 2021
This book says it's about "the importance of wolf conservation" but it's really about the importance of a good CV and cover letter then one page about how there are real wolves in the world in too small print.
October 31, 2022
A má reputação dos lobos nas histórias infantis clássicas tem levado ao perigo de extinção dos lobos na vida real. E este assunto, por mais profundo e sério que seja, é explicado de forma tão simples e bonita neste livro que qualquer um que o leia, mesmo adulto, será capaz de entender o mal feito aos lobos.
Eu não lia livros infantis há muito tempo, e retomar esta atividade, mas agora em português, me deixou apaixonado.
Eu não lia livros infantis há muito tempo, e retomar esta atividade, mas agora em português, me deixou apaixonado.
January 23, 2022
Whoa. Too much. I got frustrated when I stopped recognizing the stories of famous wolves.. Little Red Riding Hood, 3 Little Pigs… but then it started stretching wayyy too far. I lost interest. Good message at the end, if you can make it to the end.
May 22, 2026
Rounded up because it's so creative, like nothing I've ever read before. And I'm a fan of fractured fairy tales, and of non-fiction about wolves... and this turns out to be a mashup of the two. Long, not for tots, more for upper elementary. Archived on openlibrary.org.
February 7, 2018
I really wanted to love this book, but I just didn't.
March 5, 2020
Un libro que pone en perspectiva como la mala reputacion de los lobos en los cuentos ha afectado la realidad de esta especie que esta en peligro de extincion.
July 23, 2024
como eu AMO a intertextualidade cara
May 27, 2026
Creo que la idea es muy creativa pero la ejecución no me convence del todo.
April 8, 2011
Elisa Amado translated this picture book from its original publication in Brazil. In this story, Manny sees a job advertisement for the wolf. He wants the job, and thinks he's well qualified for it because he knows all about CVs and job expectations. There's only one problem--Manny is human. The only thing about him that is a wolf is his last name. Even though Manny Wolf does not get the job that he wanted because he lacked fur, he does end up getting a job helping the company write letters to all the wolf applicants.
By reading the letters that the wolves sent, Manny can figure out what types of storybook wolves they are, from Little Red Riding Hood to The Three Little Pigs. I was unfamiliar with one story Manny mentioned - the Wolf and the Seven Little Kids. Some of the wolves try to trick Manny with repeat letters, but they can't pull the wool over his eyes. Other appearances are from The Jungle Book and Roman mythology. Applicant after applicant is dismissed. Finally, Manny writes a new advertisement that is more clear on what kind of applicant is needed and the job specifications.
This book provides definitions for CV and other job-related terms in words that kids can understand. The book also introduces the concept of writing cover letters for jobs. I'm looking forward to recommending this book to the guidance counselor at school who has been discussing jobs with kids. Another use of this book would be on teaching clarity in writing.
By reading the letters that the wolves sent, Manny can figure out what types of storybook wolves they are, from Little Red Riding Hood to The Three Little Pigs. I was unfamiliar with one story Manny mentioned - the Wolf and the Seven Little Kids. Some of the wolves try to trick Manny with repeat letters, but they can't pull the wool over his eyes. Other appearances are from The Jungle Book and Roman mythology. Applicant after applicant is dismissed. Finally, Manny writes a new advertisement that is more clear on what kind of applicant is needed and the job specifications.
This book provides definitions for CV and other job-related terms in words that kids can understand. The book also introduces the concept of writing cover letters for jobs. I'm looking forward to recommending this book to the guidance counselor at school who has been discussing jobs with kids. Another use of this book would be on teaching clarity in writing.
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November 19, 2014Wolf Wanted:
Manny Wolf is a man who applied for a job that he was unqualified for! To his amazement he was given the job to answer all of the applications from all of the wolves because of his writing skills. He answered all types of letters, from the “Wolf of London,” to the “Big, Bad Wolf,” from Little Red Riding Hood. He answered letters from wolves from all over the world! None of the applications were what the agency was looking for. Manny finally read the Classified Ad that the agency was looking for, so Manny rewrote the ad and found very different results! To see what Manny finds, read Wolf Wanted!
(Grades3-5) For an activity I would have the students write a very vague description of something (noun) and give it to a partner to see if they can figure out what they were describing. After the partners exchange descriptions they would tell each other what they were writing about and then rewrite the original description to thoroughly describe the noun they had chose.
Manny Wolf is a man who applied for a job that he was unqualified for! To his amazement he was given the job to answer all of the applications from all of the wolves because of his writing skills. He answered all types of letters, from the “Wolf of London,” to the “Big, Bad Wolf,” from Little Red Riding Hood. He answered letters from wolves from all over the world! None of the applications were what the agency was looking for. Manny finally read the Classified Ad that the agency was looking for, so Manny rewrote the ad and found very different results! To see what Manny finds, read Wolf Wanted!
(Grades3-5) For an activity I would have the students write a very vague description of something (noun) and give it to a partner to see if they can figure out what they were describing. After the partners exchange descriptions they would tell each other what they were writing about and then rewrite the original description to thoroughly describe the noun they had chose.
March 31, 2010
After reading a want ad for a wolf, Manny Wolf applies for a job and is hired-not for the advertised job (they want a real wolf), but to answer the piles of letters from storybook wolves. Manny's letters reveal his strong reading and writing skills as well as the important role wolves have played in literature. The tone suddenly turns serious when Manny revises the ad to more clearly state the need for real wolves because of their risk of extinction. The end notes include information and photos about real wolves.
Although this is an award-winning book in Brazil, the translation is a bit clunky. The premise is inventive and the illustrations are entertaining. It is best suited for an older reader who would clearly understands most of the literary references.
Although this is an award-winning book in Brazil, the translation is a bit clunky. The premise is inventive and the illustrations are entertaining. It is best suited for an older reader who would clearly understands most of the literary references.
November 3, 2014
I love the visuals--as a kid one of my favorite books was The Jolly Postman because I loved seeing the different letters, and I love that element of this book too. However, the story is really odd--I'm not sure if it's a translation issue or if didn't work in it's native language either. The beginning premise was interesting. I mean, I picked it up because it seemed funny the idea of wolves applying for a job. But then it became about all the fairy tale wolves (and I guess they can't get a job because they're in stories? It wasn't really explained) and then in the end they wanted a real wolf. Umm ok. Because real-world wolves check the want ads? Maybe if a different writer had tackled it, it could've worked.
Story: 2 stars
Images: 4 stars
Story: 2 stars
Images: 4 stars
October 26, 2010
This is actually a pretty cool picture book for older children. It has a very novel take on meta-fiction, with the protagonist reading job applications from various famous wolves in children's literature . . . and history. The latter wolves bring down this book some. Most children will not be familiar with the wolf who raised Romulus and Remus, or the wolf who befriended Francis of Assisi, for example. But for a while, the great concept and the fun children will have recognizing the other, "more famous" wolves, will keep a readers attention. It's a shame that the ending flounders a little, and becomes far more serious than the rest of the book would lead one to expect.
September 7, 2016
It was dragging on with some confusion for its intended young audience and them BAM! it becomes clear at the tail end. It's about wolves being an endangered animal. I do credit the creativity. It is certainly not as dull or preachy as others similarly motivated. The packaging enticed my little boy who thought he was getting something very different, which makes me wish for 1/2 stars options in rating.
August 4, 2011
Cool story! I love the want ad and the variety of responses from wolves in different folk tales. I especially love the rewriting of the want ad to be more specific in what they are looking for. A good choice for 3rd-5th as a writing example and fun for lower grades to introduce folk tales with wolves in them.
September 29, 2013
I really enjoyed this picture book although I think that it would be most enjoyed by older readers. I don't think that younger students would understand some of the references to more obscure fables and myths that feature wolves.
December 29, 2014
It has a very good plot throughout the story, however it does get a little confusing towards the middle when more wolves applying for the job just get chunked into the book. I give this 4 stars because I loved the ending & its overall message we hadn't thought of for the conclusion.
June 1, 2010
A picture book for well-read children!
August 3, 2010
Funny. I don't know how kids will take it, but I liked it.
December 8, 2010
May have lost a little bit about the fables in translation (or I could be ignorant). Good anyway.
February 8, 2011
Neat book for older students but not K-3.
June 14, 2011
Interesting play on wolves who appear in fairy tales or other stories with a turn toward real wolves - fun to try to figure out the reference but not great in its telling.
November 13, 2015
Great idea, great art, but it seemed like the translation was a bit clunky.
November 15, 2015
A book with lots of examples of wolves in stories and literature and then follows with facts about wolves worldwide. A picture book read for older children.
August 26, 2010
Have you ever seen a wolf in the unemployment line? Cute and funny!
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews