Three Important Jobs

Starring an adorable wolf cub who takes her responsibilities VERY seriously, this surprising and funny picture book is perfect for reading and sharing together, and for anyone nervous about a new experience. With an emphasis on friendship, responsibility, and overcoming anxiety, Three Important Jobs is an excellent choice for social-emotional learning and for readers of Ryan T. Higgins’s We Don’t Eat Our Classmates.

Wolf Cub has three very important jobs: she must find Little Mouse, Floppy Rabbit, and a sack of prickle brushes and bring them back to Big Wolf’s den. Wolf Cub carries each in her mouth (even though it tickles) and delivers all three to Big Wolf as promised. Good job, Wolf Cub! But what happens when Big Wolf, with her big sharp teeth, invites everyone into her den with the promise that no one will feel a thing? 

Acclaimed author-artist Yvonne Ivinson’s suspensefully silly and ultimately reassuring picture book features wordplay, subverted expectations, lots of giggles, and a wolf cub who takes her job very seriously indeed. Observant readers will be delighted with the twist ending—Big Wolf is a dentist, Wolf Cub is her able assistant, Little Mouse and Floppy Rabbit are the patients, and the prickle brushes are their new toothbrushes.

With a rhythmic text and winsome illustrations, Three Important Jobs is ideal for emerging readers, for anyone feeling apprehensive about a new experience, and for fans of David Ezra Stein’s Don’t Worry, Murray.