Wolf in the City

Take a tour of Italian cities courtesy of a stone wolf in this gentle and amusing picture book. Wolf lives on a plinth in a quiet square, watching her neighbours going about their business. Apart from the pigeon that poops on her head, no-one pays her much attention so, certain it will be different among the magnificent statues in the city centre, she takes herself off on the bus into town. Map in hand, she wanders the squares, finding statues in fountains, in museums and right on the top of a hill. Sadly, the statues are not as she’d hoped, in fact they are rude, aggressive and arrogant and they don’t want to be joined by a small wolf. Tail between her legs, she decides to go back home and finds a hero’s welcome awaiting! She’s been missed, and her neighbours throw a special party to celebrate her return. This is a lovely what if … story with lots to enjoy, and Wolf is a real character. Following her trail gives us a real sense of old Italian cities, the warm browns, greens and pinks of Rachel Tilda Wolf’s illustrations placing us right in the sunshine. There’s a lesson to learn about valuing what you know and have over what you think is on the other side of fence too. This is Rachel Tilda Wolf’s debut and she’s an illustrator to watch.

Read our Q&A interview with Rachel Tilda Wolf.