Mr Wolf Goes to the Ball by Tatyana Feeney

Mr Wolf Goes to the Ball by Tatyana Feeney

When Mr Wolf is invited to the ball he doesn’t know what to wear. He has beautiful knitted hats and scarfs and socks - but none of those seem quite right. Then he sees a beautiful dress in a shop window and he knows that would be a perfect outfit for him to wear to dance the night away. But when he shows his brand new outfit to the other animals, they all tell him he shouldn’t be wearing a dress. With a little reassurance from the sheep, Mr Wolf goes to the ball in his dress anyway. And when he sees the other animals in all kinds of dresses and suits, he feels amazing — and dances the night away! A gentle story about following your heart and expressing your true self, with beautifully layered illustrations just perfect for younger readers.

the latest book from Irish Book Award-shortlisted author and illustrator Tatyana Feeney speaks about feeling the fear and doing it anywayWhat a joyous celebration of self-expression this book is. It is aimed to encourage people of all ages to embrace their individuality, express themselves fully and be proud of what makes them stand out from the crowd. Mr Wolf is beside himself with excitement to be invited to the ball, but instead of buying something for the occasion, he and his best friend Sheep decide to make a dress that voices who he is from the inside-out. What Feeney touches on in this book is the futility of gender stereotypes. By nature, stereotypes confine people to a fictitious set of standards that doesn’t allow for true originality and self-acceptance. The clothes we choose to wear are an expression of who we are and if one thing’s for certain, it’s that dresses are most definitely not just for girls

-- Irish Examiner

I read Mr. Wolf Goes to the Ball with 1st and 2nd Class and they loved it! … I would use this book to introduce pupils how to write invitations and also as an introduction to a S.P.H.E. lesson about recognizing and appreciating the differences between people. The wolf also goes shopping to buy a dress but decides to make his own as the dress is very expensive. As we are beginning to knit in the class, I used this example to encourage the children to be creative. I also read this book with my 4 year old daughter and she loved the illustrations. At the start of the book, the wolf looks through his closet to choose an outfit and this was great for building vocabulary and the pictures created great discussion. The wolf also wears colourful socks throughout the book and my daughter kept commenting on these. I would recommend this book for kids aged 4-7. I give this book 10/10! Thank you for sending us this book. We really enjoyed reviewing it - Hilary O’Connell, Co. Waterford

-- Seomra Ranga

What Meath-based author-illustrator Feeney captures here is a joie de vivre that defies gender stereotypes, as with the sheep’s encouragement, Mr Wolf finds his tribe and happily dances the night away. If there is a message to be drawn from Mr Wolf Goes To The Ball it is that being true to one’s own feelings is a good route to happiness, especially if you have true friends to help you along the way

-- The Echo

Books are for giving and books are giving. This is how all books make me feel and this one particularly has that feel about it, it makes me want to give it to people, and in a way that is what I am doing here with this review, giving it to you all and managing to keep it for myself too – greedy I know but it is just so wonderfully irresistible!... the story and all the pictures that we are treated to, and they are both an absolute delight … a book for giving, a book for sharing because it bursts with enthusiasm and love … A delight

-- Armadillo Magazine

A sweet story with a contemporary twist. The mixed-media illustrations are striking and carefully composed

-- Irish Independent

encouraging words from Sheep reassures Mr Wolf that he can wear anything that makes him feel amazing. A lively tale that encourages us all to be amazing and to follow your heart; warm, reassuring and simply delightful!

-- Fallen Star Stories

this is a beautifully written and illustrated book in a cheerful style to lighten a serious topic

-- Inis Magazine

set in the context of the appropriateness of a mister’s choice of clothing, this fun and inclusive story is about unconscious bias versus personal choice

-- CBI’s Pride Reading Guide 2023

the moral of this story is so beautiful in that it’s all about being whoever you are and feeling free to express yourself in whatever way you want

-- Elaina Ryan, Children's Books Ireland

A lovely message delivered with zany collage-style illustrations using simple colours

-- Children's Books Ireland’s Annual Reading Guide 2023

a lovely book that can be read by children that are learning to read or they can have it read to them by an adult

-- Ireland’s Own Christmas Annual

the very best in Irish children’s books published in 2023 ... For readers aged 5+, Mr Wolf Goes to the Ball by Tatyana Feeney … beautiful and inclusive picturebook … featuring LGBTQ+ characters

-- RTEJr

This is a beautifully written and illustrated book in a cheerful style to lighten a serious topic. The writer’s skill in using few words along with illustrations in silhouette and light hues gives the reader the choice to create their own version of the story in a fluid way with minimal influence. The story is about stigma and unconscious bias versus personal choice. Set in the context of the appropriateness of a ‘Mister’s’ choice of clothing for a ball, it challenges social constructs. The storyline with a sheep being friends with a wolf further challenges societal ‘norms’. Mr Wolf’s choice of attire for the ball includes a tuxedo and a ball gown, and he settles on the ball gown. However, some of Mr Wolf’s friend’s react strongly, stating ‘that a dress … is … definitely … not the right thing at all … [for a] “Mister”’. Disheartened by these comments, Mr Wolf is resigned to stay away from the ball. This exemplifies the impact of stigma that includes stereotyping, labelling, discrimination and exclusion. However, Mr Wolf’s close friend Sheep supports Mr Wolf in his personal choice, calling out the stigmatising position of Mr Wolf’s other friends as ‘nonsense’. This helps Mr Wolf take back his power and, despite financial challenges, the two friends succeed in making the perfect dress for Mr Wolf. As the book draws to a close, the non-judgmental friendship of Sheep contributes significantly to Mr Wolf once again feeling good about himself and his personal choices and dancing happily all night

-- childrensbooksireland.ie

Tatyana Feeney grew up in North Carolina, where she spent much of her childhood reading and drawing. This developed into a love of art and particularly illustrations in children's books, so she gave up her ambition to be a fire girl and studied Art History and Illustration. Tatyana now lives in Trim with her husband and two children. She is the author and illustrator of Small Bunny's Blue Blanket, Little Owl's Orange Scarf, Little Frog's Tadpole Trouble and Small Elephant's Bathtime. Tatyana has illustrated several Panda books with The O'Brien Press and is the author and illustrator of Socks for Mr Wolf.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781788493345
ISBN 10	1788493346
Title	Mr Wolf Goes to the Ball
Author	Tatyana Feeney
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	O'Brien Press Ltd
Year published	2023-03-13
Number of pages	32
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable