A Werewolf Named Oliver James

In this comic horror tale by British author Frith (Hello, Mr. Dodo!), Oliver James, a boy with dark skin and curly black hair, waits for the bus after band practice under the full moon. All at once, his companions at the bus stop disappear, and the bus passes him by. His reflection in a puddle shows him that he’s morphed into a stumpy, backpack-wearing werewolf with an overbite. After a moment of distress, he finds that being a werewolf is kind of fun: “Suddenly, Oliver James could run super-fast. He could leap super-high.” Stylish retro spreads in Halloween-ish colors show Oliver gleefully chasing a terrified paper boy and lifting up a delivery van. He’s late for dinner, but his parents aren’t angry, because they’ve turned into werewolves, too. In the final spread, the morning sun shows the three seated at breakfast, their human forms restored. Readers will find much to amuse them in Oliver’s adventures. However, the decision to portray him as a boy of color responsible for terrorizing his neighborhood under a full moon (it’s worth noting that Oliver’s community appears to be generally ethnically diverse), may unfortunately raise some unintended questions. Ages 4–8. [em](June) [/em]