My Wild Family

September 28, 2015
Originally published in France, this book introduces “a very special family.” A human girl—surrounded by a lion, elephant, owl, and other creatures on the cover—describes her relatives without mentioning the obvious: each is a different animal. In a classroom, a bird perching on a chair is identified as “My little brother. Flighty and a dreamer, his head is often in the clouds.” On a city sidewalk, a giraffe strides among pedestrians: “My mother. Tall and beautiful, everyone notices her.” The girl’s “perfectly primped” aunt is a crowned crane, her cousins are monkeys scaling an electrical substation, and one of her friends is a cheetah dashing through a park. The closing image pictures the girl in a striped shirt, with a zebra’s ears and tail, emphasizing her own inner wildness. Working in linocutlike layers of brick red, ochre, blue, and gray, Moreau blends urban scenery with stylized patterns and organic leafy shapes. As his menagerie mingles casually with people on a beach, tram, and playground, he playfully obscures their true identities and implies how human animals—especially children—think about nonhuman ones. Ages 3–5.

August 15, 2015
"I have a very special family," claims the unnamed narrator shown in the cover family portrait. Indeed she does. Each double-page spread in this oversized album shows a different member of this girl's family as a wild animal. Her older brother is an elephant, her little brother's a sparrow, her mother's a giraffe, and so on. Her two best friends are included, as well. Each portrayal is a separate scene in which the nonanthropomorphic animal is pictured among humans in a realistically rendered setting: a playground, a classroom, a busy city street. Moreau's graphically flat paintings, done with gouache, have simple lines and a primitive perspective, but they're full of things to look at and some surprising details. At the far end of the dinner table over which a hungry bear ("my uncle") presides, a child is feeding the dog. On the bus, her grandfather (an antlered stag) "always gets up so ladies may have a seat." But is that a rat running alongside? Liberal use of red outlines adds energy. These images show well from a distance, making this an especially good choice for preschool storytime. Published in France in 2013 as Ma Famille Sauvage, this welcome import crosses the Atlantic with ease. Sure to inspire young readers and listeners to comparisons of their own. (Picture book. 3-5)

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Starred review from October 1, 2015

PreS-Gr 2-The narrator of this oversize picture book has a very special family. She characterizes each member, from her older brother, who is strong and respected, to her little brother, who is "flighty and a dreamer," as well as her parents, grandparents, aunt, and uncle. The cousins are "fast and flexible, always quick to monkey around," and her best friend is capable of making scary faces but really is "actually quite funny." Another friend can run as fast as the wind. Stylized illustrations use strong lines, bold colors, and semi-abstract patterns to depict each person as an animal with comparable traits. Even the narrator is portrayed with unique features, suggesting what animal she might be as she asks readers, "And you? What makes you special?" VERDICT The large format supports the rich colors and robust design of this intriguing and discussable offering.-Maria B. Salvadore, formerly at District of Columbia Public Library

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