*Please note this book was gifted for the purpose of this review and this post contain affiliate links

Wild By Annette Demetriou And Dawn White

32 Pages
Children’s Fiction
Illustrations by: Ryan Sonderegger
Owlet Press
Age range: 3+

As an aspiring writer myself, I always love seeing when fellow bloggers get books published and this book is written by Dawn and Annette who are both parenting bloggers. Wild is a powerful tale about staying true to yourself, which I think is a great message to pass on to all children.

Wild tells the story of two wolf brothers – Wolfie and Wilfie who like to go their own way, but are being bullied by a pack of bigger and meaner wolves. The meaner wolves represent a lot that is wrong with modern society – gang culture, toxic masculinity and as I mentioned above bullying.

The story subtly shows children the impact of live choices, how the decisions we make are so very important and actually it’s often best to do what you know is right rather than follow what everyone else is doing.

The mean old wolves, as any good fairytale will show, realise the consequence of their actions and realise that being mean really does not pay or lead to a happy life.

Wild is a great conversation starter to talk to children about these important issues. Toxic masculinity absolutely permeates our society and it really needs to change for the next generation. To start talking to them young, so they know it’s ok to not get sucked into it. To walk away, be kind, be honest and be happy.

Another aspect I like about the book is how the granny and wolves gave it a little bit of a Red Riding Hood feel. There was definitely some modern-day fairytales vibes going on in the story, which was great.

The illustrations by Ryan Sonderegger are fab too. The facial expressions alone on the wolves are fantastic. I love the use of black, white a grey in the design which is used to dramatic affect with the little wolves are being bullied and colour returns at the end. Clever and subtle, but effective.

I sat down and read this book with my two boys and we talked about the boy’s choices and what they would have done in the same situation – the same as Wilfie and Wolfie of course!

Verdict:

Wild is a great book about staying true to yourself, doing the right thing and why popular is not always better. A great conversation starter for you to have with your children with a very important message.

Rating: 3.5/5

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Giveaway

If you would like to get your hands on a copy of Wild, I have one copy to giveaway. Simply enter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Terms and conditions: Entries are open to UK residents. The competition closes on the 7th July 2021. Winner will be announced on social media and contacted via email. If the winner does not respond to the email in two weeks, a new winner will be randomly chosen. Please allow extra time for prize delivery due to current pandemic restrictions. Host reserves the right to substitute the prize for a suitable alternative in case of problems with supply. No cash alternative available.