Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Warned against each other by their mothers, a boy and a wolf cub encounter each other in the forest and discover that the things they've been told aren't true. While it's easy to see where the story's headed, Baguley's fanciful language is anything but predictable. The boy and cub dismiss their respective parents' instructions with the same offhandedness: "The brown-eyed child is moon-mind and shut-ear and he doesn't listen to his mother." The cub, "wag-tail and scamper-paw," runs off after rabbits. The forest where they find each other is thickly painted by Blanz with tree trunks of purple, blue, and green. Long shadows underscore the forest's menace, but when the two come face to face, flowers encircle the scene: "Then the child's hand is gentle-reach. 'You are soft-fur!' he says. The cub's snout is shy-sniff. 'You are kind-touch!'" After fearing the worst, the mothers, witness to the friendship of their offspring, come to an understanding of their own. The discovery that strangers can grow to trust each other is a message that's always worth repeating. Ages 3-7. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-7-In this retelling of the Andersen tale, key plot points are changed, ultimately making this a feminist story of hope. Eliza is the youngest of 12 and the only daughter of the king, a widower. When she is five, Eliza's father marries a healer, who is almost as busy as he is, dealing with the plague that is sweeping the land. Her stepmother is surrounded by books and herbs and is often found digging in the garden. While the king thinks that studying should be enough for the brothers to learn how to rule, the stepmother thinks the boys should see the world and be part of it to properly rule one day. She casts a spell that turns the brothers into swans so they can fly away from the plague and see the world. To protect Eliza, her stepmother sends her to foster with Alma and Luca in a village the plague has not yet reached. Eventually, her stepmother sends a message to Eliza telling her that she has indeed found a cure for the plague, but has caught it herself. It is now up to Eliza to break the spell that enchants her brothers. Lush illustrations add moodiness and feeling to the story. The palette alternates between rich, dark blues and small black-and-white pieces with gold foil lending a sumptuous touch. VERDICT A gorgeously designed package housing a fresh, feminist retelling of a classic.-Stacy Dillon, LREI, New York © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Baguley and Blanz deal with complex themes of difference, inclusion, and acceptance in a simple way.Near a wood live "a mother and her brown-eyed child" (who, incidentally, is brown-skinned, although the text doesn't mention that), and in the wood live a wolf mother and her wolf cub. The human mother warns her child of wolves, and the wolf mother warns her cub of "men," but neither youngster listens. The wolf-cub and man-child come across each other while chasing rabbits. At first, they are waryfor each remembers his mother's warningbut they soon become friends. The picture book ends with the mothers telling each other that they need to trust each other for the sakes of their children, because the latter "are just like brothers." Baguley and Blanz's picture book highlights the importance of accepting difference even as it romanticizes childish innocence. Hyphenated and rhythmic wordssuch as "tree-thick and thorn-twisty" and "rough-fur and claw-paw"make this book enjoyable as a read-aloud. Blanz's illustrations are composed of rounded, soft images in dark hues of purple, green, blue, and brown, which make the book soothing and earthy.A sweet interspecies idyll. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
