Written By: Kat Patrick
Illustrated by: Evie Barrow
For Ages: 4-8 years
Language: English
Topics Covered: Social-Emotional Learning, Family, Emotions, Growing Up.
Summary: I absolutely love this book. Main character Maggie has had an awful day, her pencils won’t make squiggles right and her socks are quite unruly. When it comes to be bedtime, the moon is WAY too bright to sleep. Maggie is drawn outside by her wolfish thoughts to howl at the moon. Also feeling wolfish, Maggie’s mom joins her and helps Maggie work through her big feelings in their backyard under the light of the moon.
I believe it’s just so important to acknowledge and feel big feelings like anger, no matter how trivial the catalyst for that anger can appear to others. We’ve all had those days where all the little things add up to one big foul cloud hanging over our heads. Having the main character be a young girl who is encouraged by her mother to feel those feelings is also a wonderful model for readers; recognition and normalization of anger in young girls is something we don’t see very often. There is great pressure to always be happy and perfect, but all of us humans feel wolfish some days.
I love the illustrations by Evie Barrow as well, they convey movement and emotions of the characters beautifully. Definitely a read worth keeping around for when members of your household are also feeling like howling at the moon (which really is TOO BRIGHT sometimes) 😉
This book was kindly sent by Scribble Kids, but all opinions and decisions to review are my own.
Kat Patrick recently realised they never actually grew up, and so they’ve been trying to make a living as a writer ever since. Originally from the UK, they have written their way around the world, and after stints in New Zealand, Australia, Iceland, Paris and Patagonia, are now based in Glasgow.
Evie Barrow is a character-driven artist and illustrator based in Melbourne, Australia. Passionate about artful picture books for both kids and adults, in 2019 her debut picture book Horatio Squeak, written by Karen Foxlee was published by Walker Books. In 2020 Evie will be publishing three new picture books in collaboration with Hardie Grant, Scribble and Affirm Press.
Along with children’s books, her illustrations have featured in frankie magazine, Broadsheet press, Flow magazine and the book Shout Out to the Girls published by Penguin.
Her contemporary textile characters which are also handcrafted, have featured in many publications, including the cover of frankie magazine’s first craft book, A Little Bit Crafty.
Inspired by daily life, mended textiles, outliers, the burnt-orange earth of the Mallee where she once lived. Her hand-drawn style celebrates colour and personality while exploring the textures and imperfections made by hand.