Over the Moon

December 15, 2019
A girl raised by wolves sets out on her own. When two wolves find a baby floating down a river in a basket, they decide to bring her home and raise her--even though, at first, one of the two wolves was hoping they would make her into a meal. The three become a loving, albeit unlikely, family, and their days are filled with happiness. Things change when the girl sees a group of children reading. When she talks to her wolf parents about it, they tearfully tell her to follow her dreams even if it means leaving them. And so the girl does: Every day, she attends school with other human children, where she learns to read. In the evenings, she comes back to her wolf family and teaches them everything that she has learned. Although their routines may have changed, the unlikely family's happiness has stayed the same. The illustrations combine clear, bold outlines with fuzzy, soft swaths of color, a winsome combination. In addition to being beautiful, the pictures are often hilarious: One spread shows the girl and one of the wolves lifting their legs next to trees in the forest, a goofy image sure to make children and adults laugh. The text is stark and lyrical, and Proimos is particularly adept at using poetic devices like repetition to make the words sing. The girl has pale skin and a mop of black curls; most of her new schoolmates present white. A weird and wonderful tale. (Picture book. 3-7)

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February 1, 2020

PreS-Gr 2-The story opens with a baby girl floating down a river in a basket. She is scooped up by two wolves, one of whom is philosophical and romantic while the other is more practical and realistic. "When the two wolves get the baby home they are both over the moon with joy. The first wolf says, 'We will nourish her and teach her about good and evil, dark and light, right and wrong.' The second wolf says, 'I was planning on eating her.'" Fortunately for the girl, she is lovingly raised by the pair. One day while out picking berries, the girl spots other children for the first time. She is shaken and can't stop thinking about them. She goes back to spy on the children several times until she comes to the realization that she must leave. She notifies the wolves of her decision. The first wolf says they have raised her for this very moment while the second wolf sheds a tear. The girl goes off to school on her own. "Now the girl and the wolves will spend their days apart. But when each day ends, the wolves will be there to scoop the girl into their arms and take her home." Abbott's soft, cartoon illustrations perfectly match and set the tone. This is a zany twist on an age-old tale of growing up and realizing that family means the ones who choose, love, and raise you. VERDICT A reassuring tale that families come in all shapes and sizes and perhaps a read-aloud for the first day of school or camp for anxious children and parents.-Megan Kilgallen, Packer Collegiate Institute, Brooklyn

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2020
A meditation on parenthood (including parental insecurities) and growing-up-and-letting-go, this gentle story about a nontraditional family begins with two wolves finding a baby girl floating down the river in a Moses basket. One of the wolves is thrilled to save the baby and adopt her; the other takes a little more convincing ("I was planning on eating her") but eventually comes around. They form a happy and contented unit of three -- until the near-feral girl, now approximately kindergarten age, sees some human children for the first time. She starts to feel curious and restless, and it appears that the wolves' apprehension has been realized: "Time moves too fast." "I'm afraid she will leave us one day." Leave she does -- but just to go to school; the wolves' mixed feelings about this milestone will be familiar to many. Abbott's delicate-lined, pastel-hued gouache, colored-pencil, and ink illustrations feature subtle textures, shadows, and motion lines that enhance emotion. Though the text may be more adult-centered than child-focused ("That was the whole point of nourishing her and teaching her about good and evil, dark and light, right and wrong"), young people on the verge of something new may relate to the girl's growth and independence.

(Copyright 2020 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2020
A meditation on parenthood (including parental insecurities) and growing-up-and-letting-go, this gentle story about a nontraditional family begins with two wolves finding a baby girl floating down the river in a Moses basket. One of the wolves is thrilled to save the baby and adopt her; the other takes a little more convincing ("I was planning on eating her") but eventually comes around. They form a happy and contented unit of three -- until the near-feral girl, now approximately kindergarten age, sees some human children for the first time. She starts to feel curious and restless, and it appears that the wolves' apprehension has been realized: "Time moves too fast." "I'm afraid she will leave us one day." Leave she does -- but just to go to school; the wolves' mixed feelings about this milestone will be familiar to many. Abbott's delicate-lined, pastel-hued gouache, colored-pencil, and ink illustrations feature subtle textures, shadows, and motion lines that enhance emotion. Though the text may be more adult-centered than child-focused ("That was the whole point of nourishing her and teaching her about good and evil, dark and light, right and wrong"), young people on the verge of something new may relate to the girl's growth and independence. Elissa Gershowitz

(Copyright 2020 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)