Wolf and dog by Sylvia Vanden Heede illustrated by Marije Tolman translated by Bill Nagelkerke

Books in translation always fascinate me.  Wolf and Dog was originally written in Dutch. This book is a series of little stories about Wolf - a wild animal and Dog his cousin who lives in a house with his Boss.

While wolf and dog do have quite a few things in common, wolf is essentially a wild creature and obviously not domesticated like dog.

"My stomach was empty.
The pan was full.
Now the pan's empty
and my stomach's full.'

Dog Sighs.
'Oh, Wolf,' he says.
'You sure are a wild one.
You wolf down your food.
You swallow it whole!
You don't use a knife and fork.
You don't even use a plate!'

Wolf burps.
'There's not much cleaning up to do,' he says.
Which is true."

This is a quirky little book which I think young children will really enjoy.  It is easy to read with the verse format and the little colour illustration add to the fun.  I have included two different covers for this book from Europe.  It makes me so happy when publishers like Gecko Press are willing to translate and publish award winning books from around the world.