Wolfie the Bunny           

By Ame Dyckman

Illustrated by Zachariah Ohora

Published: 2015

Simply put: Your students will love Wolfie the Bunny! It is fast paced, fun….and can be oh-so- true and very relatable in terms of sibling rivalry! Your first read-aloud of this definitely will not be your last! Students will beg for more!

As a mentor text, I would use Wolfie the Bunny  with 1st and 2nd graders to emphasize grammar—especially proper use and placement of quotation marks. Throughout the book, the quotes from the sister,(named Dot), are written in large print, in different colors and sprawled diagonally across the page as she tries to draw attention to her parents that the baby they have adopted is indeed a wolf!  In addition, the creative ways that the dialogue is placed on the page can  serve as a mentor for your students on how to place their story on the page in creative, unconventional ways.  You never know which student you will reach when you open up creative options—so it is always worth it to create those opportunities for students.

Book Talk

The Rabbit Family—Mama, Papa and daughter, Dot, arrive home one day to find a bundle in a basket on their doorstep…it is a baby animal!  But it obviously is NOT a rabbit—it is a baby WOLF instead!

Dot sees the risk to the family immediately, but Mama and Papa are absolutely smitten with the adorable baby wolf.  Dot does everything she can to warn Mama and Papa that the wolf baby is dangerous. They excuse all of his behavior because of his adorable-ness! 

Dot is besides herself with worry about her family’s safety!

Some favorite lines:

Mama served carrots for breakfast.

“He likes them!” said Mama.

“He’s a good eater,” said Papa.

“Speaking of eating,” said Dot,

“HE’S GOING TO EAT US ALL UP!”

Dot’s friends came by to see the baby.

“He’s sleeping,” whispered Mama.

“He’s a good sleep,” whispered Papa.

“HE’S GOING TO EAT US ALL UP!” they screamed.

“No kidding,” said Dot. “Let’s play at your house.”

One day, despite Dot’s objections, she and Wolfie are sent to the grocery store together. At the store they are approached by a huge bear, who wants to eat Wolfie for dinner.  Dot, rises above her fear of Wolfie and as a true sister, comes to his defense.  Bear eventually runs away, Wolfie gives Dot a hug of thanks and hand-in-hand, the “siblings’ happily head home.

Suggested Uses As a Mentor Text: 

Book Genre: Animal Fantasy

Reading Workshop Strategies:  Fluency, Monitor and Correct, Solving Words, Connecting Summarize, Inferring, Synthesize

Writing Workshop Strategies: Narrative Writing, Grammar (dialogue/ quotations marks), Inspiring Writers, Boy Hook, Strong Endings, Strong Female, Character Development

Ame Dyckman’s website: http://www.amedyckman.com/home.html

Zachariah OHora’s website: http://www.zohora.com/about/