The Wolf Suit

by Sid Sharp

Overview

“Gorgeous.”—The New York Times • Best Books of 2022 lists: NYPL, School Library Journal, The Globe and Mail, Indigo • JLG Gold Standard Selection • Moonbeam Children's Book Award Winner • Kids Indie Next Pick

Bellwether Riggwelter is, once again, out of blackberries. This time, rather than tiptoe through a forest full of predators, he comes up with a new plan. He will keep himself safe by blending in—he will sew a Wolf Suit! The disguise works perfectly . . . sort of. Bellwether realizes he can’t enjoy the forest in a bulky suit, and he may not be the only creature in the forest who feels that way. Perhaps not everyone is as wolfish as they appear.

With humor, darkness, and insight reminiscent of Jon Klassen and Edward Gorey, Sid Sharp turns the idiom “wolf in sheep’s clothing” on its head.

This award-winning hilarious and touching graphic novel debut about the pressures of conformity and conquering fear by finding community is the perfect contemporary folktale to press into the hands of anyone who has felt they need to pretend to be someone else.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781773217208
Publisher:	Annick Press, Limited
Publication date:	10/25/2022
Pages:	120
Sales rank:	1,129,864
Product dimensions:	7.50(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)
Lexile:	580L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 11 Years

About the Author

SID SHARP is an artist and illustrator from Toronto who makes drawings, paintings, and comics. Their main interests include folklore, scary stories, mysterious and unknowable things, and finding good sticks for their stick collection. Sid attended OCAD Universityand works in an antiquarian bookstore that smells really good. The Wolf Suit, Sid’s first graphic novel for kids, was a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection and was featured in Best of the Year lists by the New York Public Library, School Library Journal, and The Globe and Mail.

Editorial Reviews

"A lovely, lush allegory about the joys and terrors of trying on a new look."—Michael DeForge, Eisner Award-nominated creator of Sticks Angelica, Folk Hero

"Genuinely lovely. A gorgeous palette of colours and emotions with illustrations that leap off the page."—Matthew Forsythe, creator of MINA, and Pokko and the Drum

“The gorgeous black and dark blue backgrounds, thick with night, make the opening of the curtain, and the sunlight that spills onto the last page, feel like another undressed window through which we can better see the self.”—The New York Times

“A timeless message presented in an enthralling tale. Highly recommended for purchase.”—School Library Journal, *starred review

“Poignant affirmation that friendships can blossom when we are brave enough to reveal our true selves.”—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

2022-07-13
A sheep learns that he is not alone in his fears.

Bellwether Riggweller dreams about flowers, but he lives, dances, and crafts alone, his dark cabin’s curtains closed and the door firmly shut. Although he puts on a brave face, Bellwether is terrified of the forest and its wolves. When he enters the forest to pick blackberries, his imagination runs wild, but later, in a series of ominous, nearly wordless pages, he actually faces off with a wolf before racing home safely. Still, Bellwether longs to pick berries, smell flowers, and listen to birds without becoming a wolf’s supper, so he uses his crafting skills to create a realistic wolf costume—he’ll be a sheep in wolf’s clothing. Although he does blend in with local wolves, his costume dulls the sounds of birdsong and blocks the scents of flowers, and the costume rips at the seams, is torn when he gets it caught on brambles, and provides a feast for moths just as he is preparing to join a late-night wolf gathering. Filled with anxiety, Bellwether nevertheless attends the meet-up, where his costume completely unravels, and is greeted with a few surprises, including several new friends. Illustrations in dark, rich jewel-tone colors, often set against a black background, create a folkloric look fitting for this well-written, if perhaps overly optimistic, allegory about being yourself. The last image, rendered in a lighter, softer palette, offers a promising glimpse of the future.

Poignant affirmation that friendships can blossom when we are brave enough to reveal our true selves. (Graphic novel. 6-10)

Kirkus Reviews