Max: The Stubborn Little Wolf (1996), written by Marie-Odile Judes and illustrated by Martine Bourre, is the story of a young wolf who wants to be a florist when he grows up. His father, a hypermasculine wolf, is sure he’ll go mad if his son becomes a florist and attempts to change his mind.

First, the father wolf takes the young wolf hunting to endear him to the sport. But his son hates hunting and warns a rabbit of his father’s intentions. Second, he tried to convince his son being a florist is dangerous. The young wolf appreciates his father’s concern and assures him he will be careful. Finally, the father sprays flower scented perfume all over his son’s room while he sleeps so he will become disgusted with the scent. It sort of works! The young wolf decides he wants to be a perfumer instead!

This is a fun, albeit unremarkable book, similar to Munro Leaf’s The Story of Ferdinand, which I would recommend instead.

This review is part of my “Snapshots of LGBTQ Kid Lit” project. I’m working on a book, The New Queer Children’s Literature: Exploring the Principles and Politics of LGBTQ* Children’s Picture Books, which is under contract with the University Press of Mississippi. Part of my research is identifying and interpreting English-language children’s picture books with LGBTQ* content published in the US and Canada between 1979 and 2019. Follow my blog to follow my journey!