December 3, 2020

LITTLE WISE WOLF

Little Wise Wolf by Gijs Van Der Hammen and Hanneke Siemensma is a quiet, beautiful story about the benefits of teamwork and community.


The Little Wise Wolf, as he is known by his neighbors, is a reclusive, bookish creature who has no time for questions or neighborly interaction: any time spent answering questions is time the wolf can't spend learning. One day, the wolf is summoned by the king, who has fallen ill and is looking for a wise being to create a cure. The self-assured wolf sets out to help his king, but it doesn't take long before he finds himself lost, tired, and without answers for the first time in his life. Perhaps he isn't so wise after all? Lucky for the wolf, the animals he meets on his journey prove to be kind and helpful, showing the wolf the benefits of working together for a greater good.


The mixed media illustrations are atmospheric and gentle, seemingly created with oil pastels, collaged papers, watercolors, and digital editing. Siemensma uses mostly muted colors throughout, save for a bright red color reserved for The Wise Little Wolf's rain boots and the turquoise of the wolf's travel pack. We often see the wolf multiple times on a single page or within a singular spread, emphasizing his constant movement despite the terrain and justifying the exhaustion he feels as he tries to get from home to kingdom.


Little Wise Wolf published from Kids Can Press earlier this fall.



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2 comments:

  1. Love this enticing snippet, can't wait to get ahold of this beautiful looking book!

    ReplyDelete