6 ans ( )

In this third and final installment of their adventures, originally published in French as Grand loup & petit loup: Une si belle orange, Big Wolf and Little Wolf become separated from one another while playing a game of catch with a beautiful orange. As Big Wolf waits for Little Wolf to return with the orange that he inadvertently flung too far, he becomes concerned, eventually venturing out into the surrounding cityscape, in order to search for his missing companion. Will Big Wolf find Little Wolf? Has Little Wolf left him? As the sun goes down and the city becomes a dark and threatening place, Big Wolf's feelings also grow darker...

After simply adoring author Nadine Brun-Cosme and illustrator Olivier Tallec's first story about the relationship between this lupine duo, Big Wolf and Little Wolf, as well as greatly enjoying their second, Big Wolf and Little Wolf: The Little Leaf that Wouldn't Fall, I really expected that this third title would also be pleasing. I'm surprised to find, therefore, that while I enjoyed Olivier Tallec's expressively quirky artwork just as much as ever, I had mixed feelings about the narrative. It just didn't make much sense, as a narrative, although I did find the scenes in which a frantic Big Wolf races around the city to be genuinely moving. But the surprise "setting" for the wolves' hill, in the midst of an urban center; the disappearance of Little Wolf, for no real reason at all; the reunion and adoption of a new hill, again for no discernible reason, all felt unconvincing to me. More to the point, they simply didn't work together very well as a story.

It's sad that this picture-book trilogy should end on such a weak note, but there you have it: it is definitely not the equal of the first two. Recommended primarily for Tallec's lovely artwork, and for readers who, having enjoyed the first two, simply must find out what happens next... ( )

Grand Loup et Petit Loup trouvent la plus belle des oranges mais n'arrivent pas à déterminer lequel d'entre eux la gardera. Quand le fruit leur échappe, dévale la colline et atterrit dans une drôle de forêt, Petit Loup court le rattraper. Mais ce dernier tarde à revenir. Grand Loup part à sa recherche et s'engouffre dans l'obscurité de ces étranges bois : la ville. Il affronte alors la circulation, le froid, le noir et l'absence de son ami dont il suit la trace au fil des pages. À l'issue de ce périple initiatique, Grand Loup découvre, de l'autre côté de la ville, un endroit merveilleux où l'attend Petit Loup.