Inspired by a circle game she fondly remembers from a Colombian childhood, Rueda''s sprightly participatory picture book is ready-made for storytime. Knowing that it is safe to play in the woods as long as Wolf is not around, a moose asks, "Wolf, are you there?" The canine replies, "I''m putting on my underpants." This call-and-response pattern is repeated as increasing numbers of woodland creatures frolic in the forest. In the meantime, Wolf continues getting dressed, looking bigger with the addition of each piece of clothing. The bright, bold cartoon-style artwork with dialogue balloons and expressive characters is well composed, demonstrating a sturdy handling of color, line, balance and momentum. The author''s note is better than most, tracing the entertainment back to 16th-century France, and providing music, lyrics and directions for playing. Mixing an age-appropriate level of suspense with a satisfying ending, this is a good-humored delight. (Picture book.

2-5) SLJ PreS-Gr 1--One by one, a group of animals assembles in the woods, repeating the titular exclamation, then asking, "Wolf, are you there?" The left side of each spread depicts the growing number of creatures cavorting among the tree trunks, engaged in fun and games, while the facing pages show the wolf responding to each one, describing his actions, e.g., "I am putting on my socks.I am putting on my jacket." At the beginning of the story, the small wolf is in the background but, with every inquiry, he appears larger, until his large face fills the page. Once he finishes dressing, he shouts, ".I am very hungry! And I''m going to eat.," leaving the animals quaking with fear.

The tension is broken as he sits down to his mother''s pancakes before heading off to school. The artwork was created on digital prints using graphite pencil. The pages are clean, focusing attention on the simply drawn but wildly expressive animals. The effect is very pleasing. The story, based on a traditional French and Latin-American song, is fun to read aloud since each page includes the repeated chant. A surefire storytime pleaser and an ideal choice for dialogic reading.--Linda Zeilstra Sawyer, Skokie Public Library, IL Booklist The animals chant, "Let''s play in the forest while the wolf is not around" on the left-hand side of each double-page spread; on the opposite page, the wolf is slowly getting dressed, one item at a time ("I am putting on my underpants"). He is also getting bigger and hungrier with each turn of the page.

The book is based on a tradition song that Rueda sang in Spanish while growing up in Colombia, and in a note at the back, which includes musical notation, she mentions that the folk rhyme originated in sixteenth-century France. On flat backgrounds, the angular, minimally detailed but colorful digital images, enhanced with a few light pencil strokes, show the animals at play in the forest, always chanting the same line, as the wolf slowly readies himself for . a surprise. This is a great song for toddlers to act out as they are getting dressed, especially because they will love being the scary monster. Pair this with Maurice Sendak''s classic Where the Wild Things Are. ----Hazel Rochman PW An adaptation of a popular French and Latin American play song, this book may make an excellent introduction to the game upon which it is based, but as a literary work, it falls short. The story begins on the title page with a gaggle of creatures (plus a red-caped girl) who shout, "Let's play in the forest while the wolf is not around!" At each turn of the page, one of the characters on the left asks, "Wolf, are you there?" while on the right, the wolf answers by telling them what he is doing as he gets ready for school (e.g.

, "I am putting on my underpants"). Rueda's (Nacho and Lolita) animated illustrations of the wolf emphasiz.