(Reviewed with Love Wolf Goes to School by Kiah Thomas) Although he is a solitary apex predator who enjoys his quiet, independent life, Lone Wolf (gray) finds solitude isn’t always possible. In Lone Wolf Gets a Pet, he learns the store is sold out of jellybeans because they’ve all been purchased as a prize for a best pet competition. Seething, Wolf concludes that he must get a pet and win the competition to satisfy his jellybean craving. After a trial-and-error series of pets (dog, cat, horse) he ends up with a goldfish, sure there’s no way he’ll win until a clever solution presents itself and Wolf is happily jellybean rich and pet-free. In Lone Wolf Goes to School, Wolf is surrounded by kids with snot and annoying behaviors. At the movie theater, a tall man blocks his view of the screen. At the beach, greedy seagulls attack and eat all his chips. Again, a clever solution gives Wolf exactly what he wants: solace and solitude. Wolf’s grumpiness and unique joys are relatable in this quirky series for early readers featuring short chapters, straightforward text, and ample visual humor.

Oscar the Grouch meets Frog & Toad in this hilarious illustrated early reader series about a cranky wolf on a quest to be left alone.

Wolf lives by himself, and he likes it that way. Wolf is not a people person.

But today, he would really like some jellybeans, and the store is completely out. The shopkeeper tells him that all the jellybeans have been bought up for prizes in a competition. A Best Pet Competition.

There’s only one thing for it: Wolf needs to acquire a darling dog, a cool cat, or a happy horse. But one by one, these animals prove that Wolf is not much of an animal person, either. Will no pet win him an award? How far must Wolf go to get some dang jellybeans?

Move over, Elephant & Piggie! For readers who have had enough of the buddy duos, for kids who’d rather play by themselves—Wolf is the antihero you’ve been waiting for. Lone Wolf Gets a Pet is the second in a hilarious early reader series starring the completely lovable, chronically grumpy Wolf, a character who affirms kids who fly solo better than with friends.

Kids who are beginning to read on their own won’t be able to get enough of Kiah Thomas’s sarcastic stories, perfect whether read alone or out loud, and K-Fai Steele’s laugh-out-loud illustrations will give any kid, no matter their reading level, a new favorite series.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection