The Wilderness

Meet the Vasylenko family, Mum, Dad and twelve children, explorers all. Each of the children is named after a month but whereas all his siblings relish the prospect of adventuring outside in the wilderness, Oktober just dreams of being a great adventurer, preferring to go on his adventures inside books. That way he can keep safe from the Wilderness monster. Nevertheless, his reassuring parents insist he accompanies them on an adventure in the great outdoors; only that way, by confronting his fears, will the boy overcome them, they tell Oktober. But instead of seeing treasures in the sky, what he sees are hideous creatures lurking in the mist. At this point the text changes abruptly urging readers to listen, pay close attention and stick together or they might get LOST.

Seemingly finding himself lost in the wilderness is exactly what Oktober needs: indeed it appears from the swirling, whirling tornado scene, that he’s about to find a very unlikely friend. Someone or something to point out that what the boy needs to do is to view his adventure from a rather different viewpoint; and so it was that he came to be the creator of a wonderfully wild tale of adventure, bravery and finding a friend when you least expect it.

With a glorious autumnal colour palette and powerfully atmospheric scenes of the family’s journey, this book will surely encourage young listeners to embark on their own outdoor forays into the wild. First though, snuggle up warm indoors and share this unusual story, which is Steve McCarthy’s authorial debut. Make sure you look carefully at the endpapers too: there you will discover a host of unlikely ‘dangers of the wild’ served up with sprinkles of humour.