Britta Teckentrup

With beauty and grace, these pages explore the heaviness of feeling lonely, while leading into hinting scenes of hope.

This is a gorgeously illustrated book with scenes, which pack emotion and depth. The dreary forest creates a meaningful setting for a child, who feels alone in life. Every corner echoes these sentiments, and yet, there's a wolf. The beautifully eerie wolf approaches and becomes a companion, and this dances along a double-meaning...at least, it hit me that way. One, the wolf show more acted as loneliness, a constant companion which was there but the child still felt alone. Or it might have been a leading sense of companionship to highlight that the child was never really alone, although it never realized it. Even at the end, the sense of loneliness and dreary atmosphere holds despite the nods at hope. It creates a meaningful read, which hits home.

The text is poetic and accompanies the mood to add a familiar tone, which readers/listeners can see examples in their own lives. The text captures and adds a dreamy touch. The impact of this, obviously, will depend on the child, but sensitive ones will enjoy it, and the older readers (adults) can enjoy every moment and bring it into their own lives as well.

As with all books which hit upon these heavier emotions, it is wise for adults to read through it themselves first, especially when fragile listeners are involved. This book does carry a dark tone as it expresses the isolation, and the ending isn't clear happiness. Rather, the last pages hug irony and point to the stepping-stone to a way out.

This book is very impactful and beautiful, and for the right reader, leaves a lasting and meaningful impression. show less

[This review has been edited and republished]

This is a board book version of the original, oversized picture book. I really liked some of the other things Britta Teckentrup has done, but this one was disappointing.

It's an annoying cliche that I detest - grumpy adult cat, appears to want to be alone but is really lonely alone, meets a friendly kitten who shows him how to be friends.

Because nobody could possibly ever want to be alone and if you're not smiling all the time there's something show more wrong with you.

Not that I'm biased. At all.

Teckentrup's illustrations are still fun, with broad, bold strokes of color and shapes and delightfully fuzzy details. However, the story has not been cut down much and especially for this small board book (7x5 inches) there is way too much text. Also, the storyline itself is not developmentally appropriate for a toddler.

Verdict: Teckentrup has done some really good board books for the toddler crowd, like My Book of Opposites, and I strongly recommend those. If you absolutely must have this book, purchase it as a picture book. Also, we are no longer friends, you anti-introvert person!

ISBN: 9781907967481; Published 2013 by Boxer Books; Borrowed from another library in my consortium show less

Delightfully rendered, this is a book for children, but also those like me who enjoy stories I've never heard when I was little, and now as an adult, I appreciate the artistry of brightly colored birds who follow little wolf.

Little wolf cannot howl like his siblings. And, naturally he is made fun of. Feeling sad and dejected, he takes a trip into the woods. He gets lost and is very upset. Now the darkness enfolds him, and snow is falling dramatically as he looks up in the sky to see huge, show more bright moon. Seeing the magical moon, he feels ready to try to howl once again.

He is successful. When he howls, his father finds him and takes him home.

This is a lovely book for a small child! The little wolf gains a sense of empowerment! show less

While not my favorite book on birds, the book has some intriguing information that bird lovers will enjoy. This is not your typical "backyard birds" type of book.

First some book "shortcomings" as I see them..... The digital illustrations leave much to be desired. An artist's hand and perceptive eye would have garnered more and better detail to bring life into the images. Then there is the text font and size. Much too small unless you are going for encyclopedic type of print jobs. So one's show more attention span might lapse because the font and size tire the reader. Then when the printer coupled the font and its size with colored backgrounds, they almost totally lost this reader.

Now some good things to look at..... The scope of the book looks at how birds are built, their habitats, their personal habits, and lots of other interesting things generally not covered in a "birding" book. I think that the tidbits of information will interest the targeted readers as well as adults.

Quite an interesting book.

I received a complimentary copy to facilitate a review. Opinions are mine, alone and are freely given. show less