Meet the Scallywags, a family of nine wolves that's driving the other forest animals crazy ("I sat next to one of them at supper last week," complains a pig. "He was so smelly
, I couldn't finish eating!"). But when it dawns on the wolves that they're actually being shunned, they decide it's time to learn the ways of polite society, and they surreptitiously study their neighbors. ("Before long most
of the wolves knew what to do with... a handkerchief, a toothbrush, and a comb. And some
of them could dress nicely and say please
and thank you
.") The Scallywags become so well groomed and polite that their neighbors do not recognize them and invite them to dine. The free-for-all denouement won't come as much of a surprise, but getting there is more than half the fun. Melling's (Good Knight, Sleep Tight
) exuberant pictures bring to mind the expertly orchestrated goofiness and vivid characters of vintage cartoons—it's easy to imagine this book as an animated short. His repertoire of comic expressions is particularly impressive given the size of his animal cast. Every one of the characters, even those in tiny supporting roles, is good for a giggle. Ages 4-7. (Feb.)
