Wolfie Paints the Town

August 15, 2017
Portrait of a town by a young wolf."Welcome to Little Wood! The tiniest town around." Meet Wolfie, a young artist, who walks around her community with her easel, painting different aspects of it and thereby introducing different characters and places that seem likely to be featured in later selections of what is surely a new series. Young listeners will be introduced to Bear, Badger, Rabbit, among others, and see them walking, gardening, and building as they go about their days (they are all revisited later in Wolfie's culminating gallery show). Photographs of Gibson's appealing felt creatures have the feeling of stop-motion animation and are full of details to explore, while the text is very simple, though sometimes stilted, and has a stylized retro tone, emphasized with an abundance of exclamation points. Perhaps better suited to a board-book format, this brief but pleasant tale stands out more for the distinctive style of illustration than anything else; the minimal text seems to exist as an afterthought rather than as a partner to the illustrations. Still, young readers and listeners will embrace this sweet, soft world that's full of warmth and friendliness and look forward to the offerings that follow. A nice choice to encourage kids to explore their own neighborhoods. (Picture book. 2-5)

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January 1, 2018

PreS-Gr 1-Art is the theme in this book, which uses textile arts to tell a story about a wolf who loves to paint. Wolfie walks through Little Wood's Garden District pulling a red wagon filled with art supplies. She stops to greet friends and paints the town's sights, but is initially too timid to show her work. Later, she invites everyone to an art show. Carefully stitched miniature fabric animals and handcrafted props take center stage in photographed tableaux. Blurred backgrounds ensure that readers focus on the animals and their small details, including ties, books, paintbrushes, food, and flowers. Sentences are simple and straightforward in a thick black font against the background, Dialogue, however, is limited and lackluster, as in this exchange between Wolfie and Bear: "Hi, Wolfie! What are you doing?" "Oh, nothing. It's just a silly painting." A spread of Wolfie's Art Show invites interactivity, as readers are encouraged to spot the characters and places within her paintings. Adults and children with attention to detail will appreciate the craftsmanship in Gibson's finely detailed creatures. A general absence of expression in word and pictures, however, makes the story a little flat, though not without artistic merit. VERDICT An artful addition for maker spaces, craft classes, and anyone trying to spark creativity in the very young. -Lisa Taylor, Florida State College, Jacksonville

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