The Gunniwolf

by Wilhelmina Harper, Barbara Upton (Illustrator)

Instructed not to go into the woods for fear of encountering the Gunniwolf, the little girl needs to find out for herself and goes to take a look, but when she does meet the creature, she discovers something special about him and begins to wonder what all the fuss was about.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Storytime, Fairy Tales, Animals, Fiction, Juvenile

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1936

Reviews

[babyhippoface · Rating 5 out of 5]

First off, the 5 stars are not for THIS edition. Not these illustrations. In this new edition, the Gunniwolf looks like a great big, bouncy, smiley dog. Very cute. I'd love to own him. But he's not the least bit frightening.

The edition I give stars is the one I grew up on: the 1967 edition illustrated by William Harper Wiesner. THIS Gunniwolf looked like an orange hyena. Creepy. When HE snuck up on Little Girl, she had reason to be freaked.

Loved this book. Loved. It. My momma would sing like Little Girl, "kum-kwa, ki wah..." and it was perfect. Perfect.

[Marjorie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought I would love this book. It looked like a folk tale with whimsical drawings to accompany it. It was boring and predictable, and not even delightfully predictable...(I can attest that many children’s books are specifically written to BE predictable, it gives the child confidence in perceiving the world around them, but there is a way to do it that is charming, and this just fell flat.)

[taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

story time with eternity kum-kwa khi-wa

[Eternity :) · Rating 5 out of 5]

thank you taylor for story time

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my favorite story as a kid, but oddly enough, I’m realizing now the people who read this to me never created a melody for the little girl’s song. (I think I like B, D, E, F#, A F#, E, D for the eight syllables she uses to lull the gunniwolf to sleep. Or mi, so, la, ti, re, ti, la, so for a more flexible arrangement.)

[Charity · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, my goodness! This book is absolutely delightful! My kids loved the sound effects when Little Girl and the Gunniwolf ran. They were laughing out loud as I read.

The illustrations are sweet. Little Girl's personality really comes through, like when she's standing talking with her mother, and she's got her back arched back a tad, her chin tucked a little, and her eyebrows raised so she's looking up at her mom through her eyelashes. I also loved the affection that came through when the little bunny rubbed his face against Little Girl's foot.

The story was sweet, too. The boisterous Gunniwolf was delightful, although one does wonder if he would have become more menacing if Little Girl hadn't run away. I watched my 32-month-old reenact the story for two of his favorite stuffed toys this evening, so I know the story made an impact on him. It would be nearly impossible not to give a positive review to a book that elicited that much cuteness from my son.

[Susan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I could never give high stars to a story which has the purpose to teach children to fear nature.

The Gunniwolf never tried to hurt the girl but still she, and the reader, are taught to be afraid of the natural area surrounding her house.

Why was this book ever revived?

[Adrianne Rosal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ummm yeah

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

The illustrations are gorgeous, and really give you an idea of the personality of the little girl and the wolf. But I don't understand why the little girl was so scared of the wolf. He never tried to hurt her or even threatened her. I kept hoping they would become friends in the end. But nope, she just left him alone in the woods.

[Set · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this story but the I feel that the wolf is way too cute. The moral of this story is to deter children from going into the jungle alone because they would and still do get lost never to be again.

[Jeanine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moral seems to be that you should listen to your mother or that the jungle is dangerous. Not quite the learning morals I try to encourage so unlikely to read this with children, but cute details in the images made me smile.

[Erika · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Gunniwolf was cute

[Darla M Gribbons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Favorite for three generations

My mom read to me, me to my daughter and now my granddaughter is a major fan. Perfect for little ones with all of the repetitive sounds.

[Vivian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reminiscent of the more familiar tale of Little Red Riding Hood, the "Little Girl" in this story ventures into the woods to collect flowers of every color. (The text says "jungle" but the illustrations say "woods" -- take your pick). Though she was warned by her mother NEVER to go into the woods the child can't resist collecting a huge bouquet as a gift for her. Forgetting about the warning, she sings while gathering "kum-kwa, khi-wa, kum-kwa, khi-wa".

Be sure to pause the story to coach listeners to sing along with you and the "Little Girl".

SUDDENLY...UP ROSE THE GUNNIWOLF! Who begs her to sing that "guten, sweeten song again". When she does the wolf dozes and she runs "pit-pat, pit-pat, pit-pat, pit-pat".

Pause here and coach the listeners to quietly slap their thighs to these words.

The Gunniwolf awakes and runs "hunker-CHA, hunker-CHA, hunker-CHA" after the girl.

Pause here and coach the listeners to loudly slap their thighs to the words.

This pattern repeats several times as the girl races home, dropping all but one little flower on her way.

[Judith Music · Rating 5 out of 5]

For crying out loud--why isn't this book in print? I was a children's librarian when this first came out. It was an instant hit with the story hour crowd, all the kids vying to check it out at the end of the program. Luckily I bought a copy for myself. My children loved it and so do my grandchildren. I wish I could buy them their own copies. This is a less frightening version of "Little Red Riding Hood," in which the girl uses her singing skills, cunning, and sturdy legs to get away from the gunniwolf. It's a joy to read (& sing) out loud. Great illustrations. Again--this should be reprinted!

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

A new edition of this classic folktale is welcome, but Upton's color illustrations of a rural American setting strike a discordant tone with the dialects and jungle setting of Harper's 1918-copyrighted text. This gunniwolf appears to be little more than a large, rambunctious dog, at odds with the slightly sinister character in the narrative. Those who recall the 1967 edition may miss William Wiesner's exotic illustrations, but the rhythmic, onomatopoeic text begs to be read aloud and will make this tale a favorite with young readers once again.

[Rani · Rating 3 out of 5]

#Wolf #Bad #Music #Girl #YoungReaders #PictureBook #BookReview #ChildrensBooks #amreading Little girl has strayed too far into the forest while plucking flowers. guess who is hiding in the bush to gobble her.

[Aleya Peters · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my all time favorite book growing up. The book is a moral book that teaches children to little to their parents warnings. The book has rhythm when it uses the repetitive "pit pat pit pat pit pat pity pat". The illustrations are detailed and give an accurate representation of folk tale literature. I love the way the book end with the girl only having one flower left. I like that this is a subtle punishment and reminder of her mistake.

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great choice for storytime, with its simple repetitive structure (easy to memorize) and sound effects (hunker-cha! hunker-cha!). This edition has not-so-great illustrations, which means you might be better telling the story with props or just on your own.

[Shanshad Whelan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please, if you're going to get a version of this masterful folktale, find the 1967 version! The new illustrations are just awful. The old illustrations coupled with the text are perfect and I just can't read this to my kids and classes enough.

[Ruth Ann]

This cautionary folk tale is milder than Little Red Riding Hood. Both the child and the wolf live! The little girl gets away by lulling the wolf to sleep with a song. Makes a great read-aloud with all the sounds and suspense!

[Teri · Rating 4 out of 5]

A children's classic I haven't encountered until now. Reminiscent of Little Red Riding Hood, without the gory wolf eating grandma and little girl part. 3.5 stars--good but didn't leave a lasting impression.

[Nichole · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is something creepy and vaguely Orientalist about this story but it stays with you. Perhaps it's the spooky little song that the girl sings as she collects flowers or the strange, grammatically incorrect phrases of the Gunniwolf but we all enjoyed this unknown classic.

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED this book as a little girl....fun one to memorize and do for storytelling.

[Babette Reeves · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and not too scary retelling of an old "don't go into the forest" tale. The kids love to sing along with Little Girl and look for where the Gunniwolf is hiding.

Recommended ages: 3 to 8

[Shanshad Whelan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The text is the same as the classic, but the pictures are all wrong. I just didn't like the softer style--did not well complement the text the way the original pictures did.

[Janine Weston · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Gunniwolf by Wilhelmina Harper (K/1) Booklegger Fall Program. Excellent for Storytelling.

[Maya · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was an older edition, with more muted illustration and we both ;oved them. Maya even asked me to read the story 2nd time right away.

[Tammra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I added this book twice because there are a couple of different versions. My kids and I love them both!

[Raquel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book because the story is really interesting, and the girl was smart. The girl learned her lesson.