I bet you didn’t know the wolf had a story; he’s always been the villain. But is he as black as he’s been portrayed? I just read a marvelous story by Laurie Foston, an American author of science fiction. She posted it in on her blog, and there it sits for all to read. “The Wolf’s Side” by Foston starts out:
They call me the big bad wolf. They have been calling me that forever, since that meanie, “Little Red Riding Hood”, and her grandmother told a story about me that was not true. But, as the old saying goes, “What goes around, comes around!”
I don’t have any reason to tell you a lie. I’m a good wolf.
One beautiful spring day while I was lying in a bed of wild flowers, safely guarding some nearby sheep when I heard a voice call to me.
“Good morning, Wolf!”
I turned my head in the direction of the voice and saw Little Red Riding Hood standing close by holding a basket on her arm. She was covering her face with her hood. I didn’t know why she was doing that then but now I realize she was just trying to hide the smirk on her face.
“Good morning!” I answered. I was honestly glad to see her. I picked a quick bouquet of flowers and put them between my fangs. Then I trotted over to her and dropped them into her basket. I had only the best of intentions.
“Where might you be headed today?” I asked, just to be friendly, of course.
“Oh, my grandmother is pretending to be sick again. So, I have to take her some cakes and honey. My mother told me to go straight to Granny’s house but when I saw you lying there among those flowers, it gave me an idea. I would rather eat these cakes, then lie down and go to sleep.” She said angrily.
How can you not love this story? If you’d like to read the rest of it, you can find it here: The Wolf’s Side.
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Bertram's Blog 
March 2, 2009 at 5:29 pm
I love wolf stories. In native folklore the wolf is wise and thought of as a teacher to humans. They have magic powers, they can foretell weather, and they are considered man’s brother. It’s believed that if you shoot a wolf, your gun will never again shoot straight.
March 2, 2009 at 6:35 pm
Cute idea! It reminds me a little of the book The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig by Eugene Trivizas. I think it’s great that books have been (and continue to be) written that give children a different view of wolves than they get from fairytales. I hope to do a presentation at a librarians conference about using books to present a balanced view of wolves to children. Maybe this story would be an entertaining addition to my list!
Scotti Cohn
Author of One Wolf Howls
(Sylvan Dell Publishing / 2009)