Wolfboy

An aesthetic that sets this book apart from others in its achievement of a layered, cinematic feel. . . . Throughout, artful, expressive typography contributes to the overall success of the picture book, guiding the reader's voice to deliver a dynamic read-aloud that matches the visual drama of the art. A read-aloud treat for hungry audiences.

The text is delightful and simple, using repetitive variations that naturally encourage participation in read-aloud settings, but it's the exceptional artwork that truly makes this a masterpiece. . . . An imaginative and completely immersive reading adventure.

Packed with descriptive language, punchy short sentences, and a deliciously menacing refrain (Rabbits, rabbits! Where are you?), the text is tailor-made to be read aloud. A simultaneously funny and relatable portrayal of big feelings, splendidly executed in clay and light.

"The moon was full," writes Harkness (Bug Zoo). The moon also looks like it's slathered in cream cheese icing--one of the many visual delights in this book created entirely from images of dimensionally modeled clay. The title character is a blue monster with spindly arms and legs, a triangular head and wild orange eyes, and a mouth that seems made for chomping rabbits, who peer up from hiding places in a landscape that puts off a spooky Wallace and Gromit vibe. "Rabbits, rabbits where are you?" the hungry Wolfboy demands as he stands atop a "creaky" oak in a forbidding forest, and jumps between the edges of a craggy ravine overhung with eerie clouds. But while Wolfboy sure seems like an incorrigible predator--one spread frames the long-eared rabbits through enormous teeth--the menace evaporates once the bunnies appear bearing a pie filled with moonberries. Turns out they're actually good buddies who are used to Wolfboy's hangry moods. It may be a shaggy-dog story, but the anticlimactic ending doesn't disappoint--readers will feel like they have a front-row seat to a marvelously imagined and sculpted toy theater. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 3-6. Agent: Adah Nuchi and Rena Rossner, the Deborah Harris Agency. (Feb.)

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