[BOOK REVIEW] Wolves by Emily Gravett

Title:  Wolves

Author:  Emily Gravett

Genre: Animal / Information / Horror

Year Published: 2005
 
Year Read: 2013

Publisher:  Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 6+ (Some Scary Moments)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 

I have read many creepy children’s books over time (“The Spider and the Fly” and “Boris and Bella” being some of my most favorite dark and creepy children’s books), but after I heard about the infamous ending of Emily Gravett’s Kate Greenway Medal Award winning book children’s book “Wolves,” I just had to check this book out!

The book basically starts off with a rabbit going to the library and checking out a book that is about wolves. Throughout the book, the rabbit reads about a wolf’s natural habitat and the animals it eats.  Unfortunately, the rabbit is so engrossed in the book that he fails to notice that something might be following him...

After reading this book, I honestly believe that this is one of the most creative books that managed to combine both an intense and informative narrative in detailing the nature of wolves!  I loved the way that Emily Gravett informed the readers about how wolves live and what kind of animals they eat, while also providing enough suspense for the readers whenever the rabbit is being mysteriously followed by a certain animal while reading his book.  Emily Gravett’s artwork is also beautifully done as the wolves look truly scary with their gray and ruffled fur and sharp teeth.  I also loved the image of the rabbit as it is white colored and has a chubby body that makes it look so innocent.

The reason why I gave this book a four star rating is because I felt that the story was a bit cluttered, in terms of deciding what story it wanted to be.  It seems like it was trying to be informative about wolves, but at the same time, it is like it was trying to go for a horror story angle about the rabbit being followed by a certain animal throughout the book.  Even though I liked the fact that the story was trying to combine these two aspects together, it seem like there was not a cohesive story about the rabbit and wolves co-existing with each other.  Also, parents should know that the ending might be a bit disturbing for small children (well, it really depends on what version of this book you get, like for example, the version I got had an alternative happier ending).

Overall, “Wolves” is a truly interesting book that helps give readers information about wolves and I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in reading books about wolves! I would recommend this book to children ages six and up since the ending might disturb smaller children (depending on which version you get).

* 2005 Kate Greenaway Medal