Peter lives with his grandfather now that his mum has gone. Grandfather hovers over Peter, worried for him constantly. He tells Peter to stay away from the forest that slinks too close to his house and meadow. It is dark and dangerous, and holds too many unknowns.

Hunters also lurk between the trees, on the constant look out for wolves or something else to shoot with their shotguns.

But Peter is bored inside his grandfather’s home. It’s too quiet and he can’t stop thinking about his mum, especially now he is sleeping in her room.

Ignoring his grandfather’s warnings he slips out of the house, through the gate, and into the meadow that faces the forest.

Outside, a cat lurks beneath a bird in a tree, and a clumsy duck waddles around the pond. It’s better outside, but Peter wonders what to do.

An idea hits him as he thinks about the wolves in the forest so close, and he gets to work making something to help fill in his time and counter the thought of a wolf nearby.

Again he is found by his grandfather and taken inside. But Peter is still yearning to be back out in the meadow. At least he can watch the farm  animals. Looking out the window he sees something terrible. A real wolf is stalking an animal!

Creeping downstairs against his grandfather’s worries, he sneaks outside into the meadow, hiding from the wolf, but knowing he must do something about it.

With an animal friend’s help he braves his own fears while pushing his grandfather’s fears down deep. He must face this wolf.

Can he capture it, and show his grandfather he isn’t too young to be outside alone? Can he gain the respect of the hunters who have pursued it for so long? But all is not as it seems.

Peter and the Wolf has be rewritten many times over decades. For this retelling, Gavin Friday wrote the text and narrated an animated movie. He also  rearranged the musical score along with Maurice Seezer.

Friday’s friend Bono provided the artwork, beginning with the sharp lines of a wolf with sharp teeth and edges – just as a child would imagine a wolf.

Bono’s own father passed away just before this project so the Irish Hospice Foundation was the obvious choice for the proceeds of the sale of the artwork.

A striking difference for this version is that it portrays a modern depiction of Peter (with a mohawk and sleeveless t-shirt) – on black and white and often slightly blurred photographed settings.

This makes Peter and the animals he encounters sharp on the page, as he deals with the loss of his mum, sleeping in her room and starting a new life with his grandfather.

Peter’s grief about the ‘wolf’ that took his mother, allows him to make an important decision in the pursue of a local wolf.

A stunning collaboration presenting a more modern setting and conclusion than previous retellings. This leaves Peter with a smile and the reader wondering about the wolf after all.

Author – Gavin Friday

Illustrator – Based on illustrations by Bono

Age – 7+

(2024, DK, Dorling Kindersley, Animals, Retelling, Bono, Gavin Friday, Woods, Forest, Wolf, Duck, Bird, Cat, All is not as it seems, Danger, Outwitting, Trick, Hunters, Grief, Loss, Coming to terms, Grandparent, Grandad, Grandfather, New Home, Hunting, Animated Movie, Irish Hospice Foundation, Courage, Family)