Who Likes Wolfie?

A morose but ingratiating wolf takes center stage in this British import, a thin tribute to the idea that there is someone for everyone. Varying from azure to smoky blue, the color of Wolfie's coat seems to reflect how he feels inside-sad. ""No one likes me,"" he laments. The other woodland creatures instinctively mistrust Wolfie, yet he is frequently pictured with his ""brothers and sisters"" and other pack members-all of whom seem friendly enough-so his general complaint appears to be at odds with what is shown in the pictures. Wolfie's idea, to sing (i.e., howl) only grates on everyone's nerves-until a beautiful, snow-white she-wolf emerges from the shadows, drawn to Wolfie's plaintive song. Despite the text-related inconsistencies, the illustrations maintain a certain naive playfulness. Whimsical details such as bird tracks on a snow-covered branch and a family of bats hanging quietly in a polar bear den balance the broad, fairly loose brushstrokes in Warnes's mostly moon- and starlit paintings. Ages 6-8. (Apr.)