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WOLF IN THE CITY

Name: WOLF IN THE CITY
Author: Rachel Tilda Wolf
ISBN: 9781836300106

by Rachel Tilda Wolf ; illustrated by Rachel Tilda Wolf ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 9, 2025

A sweetly satisfying reminder that there truly is no place like home.

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The grass isn’t always greener on the other side.

In the center of a “tired” town square, “on the edge of a vast and magnificent city,” stands a statue of a lone white wolf. Wolf is stuck in a rut, observing the daily routines of the residents but ignored by everyone except Pigeon, who poops on her daily. Yearning to live among the majestic statues in the city center, she boards a bus in search of a new perspective. After being rebuffed by the sculptures in the museums and realizing that the monument dedicated to battle might not be her thing, she aimlessly wanders the city, lonely and confused. Wolf sheepishly returns, sparking elation as the residents celebrate the return of their missing statue and making her feel right at home. Debut author/illustrator Wolf (no relation) has crafted a fantastical tale that balances the desire for new experiences with the need to be appreciated. Traveling through brightly colored bustling city scenes, Wolf endures a range of emotions, making her journey all the more relatable to young readers unsure of their place in life. Store signs and local landmarks imply an Italian setting; town residents are diverse in age and skin tone.

A sweetly satisfying reminder that there truly is no place like home. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Sept. 9, 2025

ISBN: 9781836300106

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Scallywag Press

Review Posted Online: July 4, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2025

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: June 21, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Jim Valeri

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

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FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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MANGO, ABUELA, AND ME

by Meg Medina ; illustrated by Angela Dominguez ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 25, 2015

This warm family story is a splendid showcase for the combined talents of Medina, a Pura Belpré award winner, and Dominguez,...

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Abuela is coming to stay with Mia and her parents. But how will they communicate if Mia speaks little Spanish and Abuela, little English? Could it be that a parrot named Mango is the solution?

The measured, evocative text describes how Mia’s español is not good enough to tell Abuela the things a grandmother should know. And Abuela’s English is too poquito to tell Mia all the stories a granddaughter wants to hear. Mia sets out to teach her Abuela English. A red feather Abuela has brought with her to remind her of a wild parrot that roosted in her mango trees back home gives Mia an idea. She and her mother buy a parrot they name Mango. And as Abuela and Mia teach Mango, and each other, to speak both Spanish and English, their “mouths [fill] with things to say.” The accompanying illustrations are charmingly executed in ink, gouache, and marker, “with a sprinkling of digital magic.” They depict a cheery urban neighborhood and a comfortable, small apartment. Readers from multigenerational immigrant families will recognize the all-too-familiar language barrier. They will also cheer for the warm and loving relationship between Abuela and Mia, which is evident in both text and illustrations even as the characters struggle to understand each other. A Spanish-language edition, Mango, Abuela, y yo, gracefully translated by Teresa Mlawer, publishes simultaneously.

This warm family story is a splendid showcase for the combined talents of Medina, a Pura Belpré award winner, and Dominguez, an honoree. (Picture book. 4-7)