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Wolf Camp by Andrea Zuill

WOLF CAMP
Written and illustrated by Andrea Zuill
(Schwartz & Wade Books, $16.99, Ages 4-8)

is reviewed today by Cathy Ballou Mealey.

 

Wolf Camp by Andrea Zuill picture book cover

It’s not Labor Day yet!

The shelves at the library and bookstore may be spilling over with “back-to-school” titles, but let’s hold on to summer silliness and camp craziness for just a bit longer. Truly, there is no one season for learning about how to tackle new experiences, face your fears and make new friends. Wolf Camp by Andrea Zuill is a hilarious and heart-warming picture book that will encourage young listeners and little learners to be brave and have fun, and howl in harmony as one of the pack.

Our hero is Homer, a hound dog with scrawny neck and legs, big nose and a tail that wags frantically when he’s excited. Sometimes he acts “wolfish” pouncing playfully on his pink stuffed toy moose from behind the sofa. Homer believes all dogs have a bit of inner wolf, and fantasizes about living like one of the pack, racing through the wilderness with purpose. It seems like a dream come true when an invitation to Wolf Camp (“Where every dog can live as a wolf – for an entire week!”) falls into his kibble bowl.

Homer really wants to go to Wolf Camp. He pesters his human family, bringing the invitation to their attention over and over, until they relent and agree that he can go. “I’m going to be a wolf!” thinks Homer excitedly as he heads off on a big yellow bus. The camp counselors, Fang and Grrr, are actual wolves, sharp-nosed, pointy-eared, shaggy giants. Homer’s fellow campers are a bumbling, fuzzy golden retriever named Rex and Pixie, a teeny-tiny gray Chihuahua. Homer thinks the counselors seem nice, but the wolves appear slightly skeptical about the well-hidden potential in their new recruits. Nonetheless, after a detailed safety talk, the Wolf Camp lessons begin.

Zuill’s pen and ink drawings with watercolor wash are zany, charming and unbelievably expressive. She masterfully contrasts wolf and dog postures and body language, perfectly positioning their poised or clumsy bodies for stalking, howling, tracking and sleeping. The animals’ eye rolls, ear tilts, and tail movements convey oodles of meaning and emotion that enrich the wry, witty text and funny speech bubbles. It’s a guaranteed giggle when Homer pens a classic camp letter to his “people” at home, complaining about the food and bugs.

Wolf Camp is filled with loopy, lupine humor and heart. Readers will root for Homer, Rex and Pixie as they bond, persevere and slowly master the skills necessary for wolf-y, woodsy living. The new pack members succeed in earning Honorary Wolf certificates by the end of the week, but perhaps Homer has been changed forever by his wild experience. You’ll be howling with laughter throughout this silly, sweet and smart story for campers and canines alike.

 

Where Obtained:  I reviewed a copy of Wolf Camp from the library and received no other compensation. The opinions expressed here are my own.

  • Reviewed by Cathy Ballou Mealey
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From Wolf to Woof! by Hudson Talbott

 

FROM WOLF TO WOOF!:
The Story of Dogs
Written and illustrated by Hudson Talbott
(Nancy Paulsen Books; $16.99, Ages 5-8)

 

From_Wolf_to_Woof

 

Available April 11th, this new book, From Wolf to Woof!: The Story of Dogs, blurs the line between fiction and nonfiction. Author and illustrator Hudson Talbott describes this children’s picture book as his “myth of origin” in which “a myth reveals a greater truth about life in the form of a simple story.”

 

IntimageWolftoWoof1
Interior artwork featured in From Wolf to Woof!: The Story of Dogs by Hudson Talbott, Nancy Paulsen Books ©2016.

In this engaging story for children, Talbott writes and illustrates an imagined beginning where the first lone wolf puppy, cast out of his pack, soon befriends another loner: an orphan boy. The two build trust in one another and learn that, together, they survive better than alone.

 

intimageWolftoWoof2
Interior artwork featured in From Wolf to Woof!: The Story of Dogs by Hudson Talbott, Nancy Paulsen Books ©2016.

A particularly heartwarming image is when the boy first makes contact with the wolf, petting his snout. From there, everything changes.

 

intimageWolftoWoof3
Interior artwork featured in From Wolf to Woof!: The Story of Dogs by Hudson Talbott, Nancy Paulsen Books ©2016.

The two outsiders are joined by other misfits. Though confrontations occur against the wild wolves and the wild humans, the new group gets along exceedingly well. In these lines we see the importance of inclusion and collaboration: “Everyone worked together and shared the food. No one was left out.”

 

intimageWolftoWoof4
Interior artwork featured in From Wolf to Woof!: The Story of Dogs by Hudson Talbott, Nancy Paulsen Books ©2016.

 

Thousands of years of evolution then changes humans from hunters and gatherers to herders and farmers. Previously wild wolves become domesticated dogs where they continue to adapt to our needs, developing specializations such as guarding, transporting, and, most important perhaps, comforting.

 

intimageWolftoWoof5
Interior artwork featured in From Wolf to Woof!: The Story of Dogs by Hudson Talbott, Nancy Paulsen Books ©2016.

Children will be thrilled that their beloved pet was once a wild wolf. It’s mind-boggling to consider that Chihuahuas, bulldogs, and sheepdogs originate from a similar ancestor. Talbott’s reimagining of the first contact between boy and wolf is a believable tale that offers an explanation as to how man’s best friend has evolved at our side throughout human civilization. The next time you listen to your dog’s howl, you will be transported back through time, back to when he was a wolf.

intimageWolftoWoof6
Interior artwork featured in From Wolf to Woof!: The Story of Dogs by Hudson Talbott, Nancy Paulsen Books ©2016.

 

  • Written by Guest Reviewer, Christine Van Zandt

Writer, editor, and owner of Write for Success www.Write-for-Success.com

@WFSediting, Christine@Write-for-Success.com

Co-editor of and writer for SCBWI’s Kite Tales https://SCBWIKiteTales.wordpress.com/

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