I am delighted to welcome back David Sherrin to chat about the newest installment in the Big Bad Wolf Diaries series, BIG BAD WOLF AND THE MASQUERADE BALL (Apples & Honey Press, 2026), illustrated by Martín Morón. The book follows the Big Bad Wolf as he reluctantly attends a masquerade ball where he ends up befriending the prince. Together, they take part in silly antics, and ultimately some tender moments. The classic fairytale references add to the story’s appeal and the setting makes it a fun read for Purim. I look forward to learning more about this delightful new book.

BIG BAD WOLF AND THE MASQUERADE BALL is a unique blend of fractured fairy tales and Jewishly inspired themes. Although the setting is much like a Purim party, there is not a specific mention of Purim in the book. Can you tell me a bit about your creative thought processes in writing the story?

Since this was the third story in the trilogy, much of the brainstorming was done together with my wonderful editors at Apples & Honey Press. We put an idea together and then I sat down to flesh it out and make the outline come to life. My first book, Big Bad Wolf’s Yom Kippur, was very explicitly Jewish. With Baddest Wolf of All? and BBW and the Masquerade Ball, we attempted stories that would live in the overlap between being Jewish and general audience stories. This is really fun for me because I can tailor the way I do readings for my particular audience. If I’m doing a Purim carnival reading or at a Hebrew School, then we can focus on the Purim elements like the costumes, the fun, and the hamentaschen. But if I’m reading at a public school then we focus on the overall story, the character arc, etc. I’m happy to have overtly Jewish stories like The Pirate Rabbi, but it is also nice to have some aimed at a wider audience…even though my non-Jewish readers seem to love the Jewish stories just as much! 

The Big Bad Wolf and Prince Charming develop an unexpected friendship, with the overarching message of the importance of being yourself.  What do you hope young readers take away from their friendship?

As I mentioned, this was the third story and it sure isn’t easy to make it fit with the others but also do something totally fresh and novel. We thought a lot about how to do it and I kind of see this one as a prequel. In the other two books, Big Bad Wolf ends up good at the end. Not the case in this one. It is his unique badness that really saves the day. Well, maybe more his naughtiness. And it was really fun to have it focused on the prince rather than Cinderella and seeing how all the elements like the slipper and the pumpkin flowed into the story. I think the overall message for this story was that it is okay to be yourself, as you put it, and also to not be perfect. Sure, they do some things we wouldn’t advise kids to do but they have a blast and build a friendship and I guess that’s kind of how life works!

The details in the illustrations are delightful. What were your thoughts when you saw Martín Morón’s art for BIG BAD WOLF AND THE MASQUERADE BALL? 

Okay, so Martín Morón is just a master at what he does. This is his third time bringing Big Bad Wolf to life and so I knew to expect wonders…and he never disappoints. The funny thing reading my stories to audiences is that they always have questions about the illustration and our relationship. They always ask: “so how did you find this guy?” Because his art is so good! And thankfully I feel great about the stories themselves and am confident in them because one comment I know I’ll always hear is “wow, those illustrations are amazing!” Sometimes subpar illustrations can really hurt a book but in this case I think we are a great match and he brings my stories to the next level. He just adds great clever little details and everything is so vibrant. 

You have written three books BIG BAD WOLF STORIES. Was it always your plan to have multiple stories? Do you see them as stand alone stories or should they be read together? What’s next for the Big Bad Wolf?

So I’ve written three Big Bad Wolf stories plus The Pirate Rabbi.

I never imagined when it began that there would be sequels. And I’m a Star Wars fan so a trilogy is a dream! But Big Bad Wolf’s Yom Kippur was such a hit that Apples & Honey Press asked for a sequel right away. And I’m happy that I can’t tell which is my favorite…I really love all three and they fit together nicely but are so different. Big Bad Wolf meets different fairy tale characters and his path is so unique in each one. They are definitely all meant as stand alone stories but they also mesh as a series, for sure. I’ve really gotten the bug for fractured fairy tales and have tried some other Big Bad Wolf ones and some with other characters but nothing has worked yet. But my agent, Rena Rossner, recently sold one of my stories to Kar-Ben and that is a super fun one about a dragon and Hanukkah. And, yes, we do have one big Big Bad Wolf plan but unfortunately I can’t share that information yet! I’ll leave you hanging…

Thank you, David!

David Sherrin is a national-award-winning teacher at Scarsdale High School in Scarsdale, New York. His debut picture book, Big Bad Wolf’s Yom Kippur, had featured reviews in Kirkus, Jewish Books for Kids, and the Jewish Book Council. He is also the author of several books about teaching history including The Classes They Remember: Using Role-Plays to Bring Social Studies and English to Life. David lives in Tarrytown, New York.

Tagged Apples & Honey Press, David Sherrin, picture book, Purim