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4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
Meet a feral child who was taught to speak by the birds, taught to eat by the bears, and taught to play by the foxes. She is happy and her world makes sense.
When she is discovered by hunters in the forest, she is taken to a new home where nothing makes sense and she doesn't fit in. At her wit's end, she rebels and heads back to her blissful life in the forest among the only family she's ever known: the animals.
Gorgeous, detailed artwork that gives readers so much to linger on and discover on rereads. This book feels like it has the makings of a classic. I loved the image of the little girl playing with the foxes; the look on the fox's face as she bites its tail is hilarious! The ending was surprising for me in that she chose her path and nobody stood in her way; I wasn't expecting it, and I really liked it.
The front cover is one of my favorites, surely from this year, but perhaps of all time. PreK-2.
When she is discovered by hunters in the forest, she is taken to a new home where nothing makes sense and she doesn't fit in. At her wit's end, she rebels and heads back to her blissful life in the forest among the only family she's ever known: the animals.
Gorgeous, detailed artwork that gives readers so much to linger on and discover on rereads. This book feels like it has the makings of a classic. I loved the image of the little girl playing with the foxes; the look on the fox's face as she bites its tail is hilarious! The ending was surprising for me in that she chose her path and nobody stood in her way; I wasn't expecting it, and I really liked it.
The front cover is one of my favorites, surely from this year, but perhaps of all time. PreK-2.
Gorgeous illustrations and a simple, yet provoking, narrative make Wild a book worth revisiting.
It is true, "You cannot tame something so happily wild." I loved everything about this book: the illustrations vivid in color, the words full of poetic imagery, the message rich in empowerment and freedom.
There lives in every child an animal. A wild, untamable creature that will emerge without fail at the worst possible moments, rendering its parents helpless and hopeless all in one swoop. There also exist in this world picture books that touch on this restrained/free duality. You might even argue that the BEST children’s books touch on this in some way (Where the Wild Things Are being the most obvious example). In 2013 alone we saw Peter Brown’s [b:Mr. Tiger Goes Wild|17333265|Mr. Tiger Goes Wild|Peter Brown|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1361746283s/17333265.jpg|24064569] talk about the need in every child for order as well as wild uninhibited freedom. Wild, in contrast, is a simpler story. Following just one girl from her path from nature to the city and back again, it has a different lesson in mind. It is all well and good for some to find a happy medium between chaos and order but for some kids chaos is clearly MUCH more appealing!
“No one remembered how she came to the woods, but all knew it was right.” A green-haired baby smiles contentedly on a forest floor as a bear, bird, and fox look on. Over the years the bird teaches her to speak, the bear to eat, and the fox to play. Unfortunately a hunter’s trap catches the child by her foliage-like hair and a pair of baffled hunters takes her back with them to civilization. There the child is forced to reside in the home of a well-meaning psychiatrist and his wife. Attempts to normalize her fail resoundingly and at last she flees back to the wild, the family dog and cat in tow. After all, “you cannot tame something so happily wild.”
A British-born Hawaiian-residing author/illustrator, Emily Hughes’ art is fascinating to look at, partly because it’s so incredibly European. It’s something about the eyes, I think. Or maybe just the way the landscape and the animals intertwine. The bears, for example, reminded me of nothing so much as the ones found in [b:The Bear s Song] by Benjamin Chaud (a Frenchman). The heroine herself is somehow big-eyed without devolving into preciousness (a delicate balance). Her plant-like hair almost looks like it might be sentient at times. People in general are rendered with a fine hand. My favorite shot is of the wild child being brought to civilization by the two clearly shell-shocked hunters. As the men, and even their dog, drive in the rain, their eyes ringed with worry, the child sits on the front seat with only her eyes visible over the dash. She is clearly silent and livid.
It’s interesting to look at the settings and colors in the book as well. As the girl is raised there isn’t a white page to be seen until the last fateful line of “And she understood, and was happy.” Then, when humanity intervenes, the white pages begin to proliferate. Interior spreads are either grey/green or peach/brown and nothing else. It’s as much a relief to the reader’s eye as it is the child’s spirit when she escapes again into the wild. I was particularly pleased too with the two-page wordless humanless spread displaying only the child’s wanton path of destruction. As for the wild itself, here we have a utopian Eden, where animals might eat the occasional fish but never a green-haired baby child. Or, for that matter, one another.
One quibble I have with the book is the final line. It ends on an ellipsis, you see. Now I’m as big a fan of your average everyday ellipses as the next gal. And I understand that there must have been long editorial discussions with the author/illustrator that justified its presence on the last page. I just have absolutely no idea what those justifications could possibly be. The line reads, “Because you cannot tame something so happily wild…” Maybe the dot dot dot is there to suggest that this isn’t the end of the story? I haven't a better idea.
Oh, they’ll tag this as an eco-centric morality tale, I’m sure. Wild/nature = good, civilization/standardization = bad. That sort of thing. Honestly, I think it has a lot more to say about the inner life of a young child than any overt messagey message about Mother Earth. But there aren’t any rules governing how you use a book, so go on! Use it to talk to kids about nature and the outdoors. Use it to talk about acceptable and non-acceptable behavior and when those rules break down. Use it to discuss tropes most common in European vs. American books, or what makes this book a stand out in its field. Talk about it any old way you like, but make sure you talk about it. A surprisingly lovely little piece that bears similarities to hundreds of pictures books out there, but isn’t really like a single one. One of a kind.
For ages 3-7.
“No one remembered how she came to the woods, but all knew it was right.” A green-haired baby smiles contentedly on a forest floor as a bear, bird, and fox look on. Over the years the bird teaches her to speak, the bear to eat, and the fox to play. Unfortunately a hunter’s trap catches the child by her foliage-like hair and a pair of baffled hunters takes her back with them to civilization. There the child is forced to reside in the home of a well-meaning psychiatrist and his wife. Attempts to normalize her fail resoundingly and at last she flees back to the wild, the family dog and cat in tow. After all, “you cannot tame something so happily wild.”
A British-born Hawaiian-residing author/illustrator, Emily Hughes’ art is fascinating to look at, partly because it’s so incredibly European. It’s something about the eyes, I think. Or maybe just the way the landscape and the animals intertwine. The bears, for example, reminded me of nothing so much as the ones found in [b:The Bear s Song] by Benjamin Chaud (a Frenchman). The heroine herself is somehow big-eyed without devolving into preciousness (a delicate balance). Her plant-like hair almost looks like it might be sentient at times. People in general are rendered with a fine hand. My favorite shot is of the wild child being brought to civilization by the two clearly shell-shocked hunters. As the men, and even their dog, drive in the rain, their eyes ringed with worry, the child sits on the front seat with only her eyes visible over the dash. She is clearly silent and livid.
It’s interesting to look at the settings and colors in the book as well. As the girl is raised there isn’t a white page to be seen until the last fateful line of “And she understood, and was happy.” Then, when humanity intervenes, the white pages begin to proliferate. Interior spreads are either grey/green or peach/brown and nothing else. It’s as much a relief to the reader’s eye as it is the child’s spirit when she escapes again into the wild. I was particularly pleased too with the two-page wordless humanless spread displaying only the child’s wanton path of destruction. As for the wild itself, here we have a utopian Eden, where animals might eat the occasional fish but never a green-haired baby child. Or, for that matter, one another.
One quibble I have with the book is the final line. It ends on an ellipsis, you see. Now I’m as big a fan of your average everyday ellipses as the next gal. And I understand that there must have been long editorial discussions with the author/illustrator that justified its presence on the last page. I just have absolutely no idea what those justifications could possibly be. The line reads, “Because you cannot tame something so happily wild…” Maybe the dot dot dot is there to suggest that this isn’t the end of the story? I haven't a better idea.
Oh, they’ll tag this as an eco-centric morality tale, I’m sure. Wild/nature = good, civilization/standardization = bad. That sort of thing. Honestly, I think it has a lot more to say about the inner life of a young child than any overt messagey message about Mother Earth. But there aren’t any rules governing how you use a book, so go on! Use it to talk to kids about nature and the outdoors. Use it to talk about acceptable and non-acceptable behavior and when those rules break down. Use it to discuss tropes most common in European vs. American books, or what makes this book a stand out in its field. Talk about it any old way you like, but make sure you talk about it. A surprisingly lovely little piece that bears similarities to hundreds of pictures books out there, but isn’t really like a single one. One of a kind.
For ages 3-7.
A beautifully-illustrated story of a girl raised in the wild and what happens when she is taken into captivity by some "new animals" (humans).
The main character looked almost reminiscent of the Secret of Kells animated film.
I loved the color and chaos and little hints on the side of the grownups' side of the story. Definitely a fun read.
The main character looked almost reminiscent of the Secret of Kells animated film.
I loved the color and chaos and little hints on the side of the grownups' side of the story. Definitely a fun read.
This book is awesome! Fantastic for the illustrations alone (she seriously got the facial expressions spot on; so funny!), the story is great too. I think it would be a good one for showing kids why some animals are not meant to be pets. What a wonderfully inventive book.
No one remembered how she came to the woods... A little girl grows up happy learning to talk, eat, and play from the birds, bears, and foxes. Until one day, she is discovered by some hunters. She is taken to the city where she is expected to follow rules... and no one is happy.
Hughes' illustrations are florid and wild like our feral protagonist. Earthy tones abound bringing nature to the page. This book is a nice reminder to parents and caregivers. We must give our children room to be themselves. Forcing them to be something they aren't will only make everyone unhappy. In a lighthearted way, Hughes addresses a somewhat difficult subject: the ever present friction between child and adult. Rules vs freedom. My daughter gets a little upset when she makes a mess of the toys. I take the opportunity to talk about how she doesn't know their rules and expectations. I hope I can only remember that next time I get frustrated when someone isn't "doing it right".
Great reminder, Emily Hughes. Thank you!
Hughes' illustrations are florid and wild like our feral protagonist. Earthy tones abound bringing nature to the page. This book is a nice reminder to parents and caregivers. We must give our children room to be themselves. Forcing them to be something they aren't will only make everyone unhappy. In a lighthearted way, Hughes addresses a somewhat difficult subject: the ever present friction between child and adult. Rules vs freedom. My daughter gets a little upset when she makes a mess of the toys. I take the opportunity to talk about how she doesn't know their rules and expectations. I hope I can only remember that next time I get frustrated when someone isn't "doing it right".
Great reminder, Emily Hughes. Thank you!
funny
lighthearted
Lighthearted and silly. A young girl is raised by animals, and then taken in by some absolutely horrible people. She doesn't like it; they don't like it. So she returns to her wild home . The illustrations are fun, and I love embracing one's inner self (or wild side, or whatever we're going for here). But in the end I was left with the discouraged feeling that humans are kind of garbage.
Perhaps I'm just feeling weighed down by humans in general. Unfortunately, this story didn't ease that burden, but it wasn't meant to.
Perhaps I'm just feeling weighed down by humans in general. Unfortunately, this story didn't ease that burden, but it wasn't meant to.