Erik: The Lone Wolf

Wolves are pack animals, that’s common knowledge, but tired of being part of the rule-bound pack, Eric the young cub longs for an adventure of his very own.

Leaving the pack far behind, he ventures forth across the mountains to have some no holds barred fun. He climbs his highest, wobbles his furthest and skis his fastest ever; seemingly Erik is unstoppable; and therein lies the problem. So fast does he whizz down the slope that he fails to notice the warning sign and somersaults unceremoniously down into the bottom of an icy crevasse. Suddenly he realises that being a lone wolf isn’t always such fun after all; in fact it can be downright scary. It’s fortunate for him that his family aren’t as eager to detach themselves from Erik as he was from the rest of the pack: it looks as though after all his solo adventuring it’s a case of once a pack animal…

This picture book is part of Lincoln Books’ new sub-imprint First Editions solely for debut authors/illustrators and Sarah Finan is clearly an artist to watch. Her painterly illustrations with their predominance of blue hues, are powerfully atmospheric and capture the icy chill of the wolves’ mountain home; and far from being scary, those furry wolves, particularly Erik, are totally endearing.