Book Report: Wolf in the Snow

48. Matthew Cordell, author and illustrator, Wolf in the Snow (2018) (1/21/19)

This mostly wordless Caldecott Award winner tells a simple story of a girl walking home from school one very snowy day and encountering a lost wolf cub. But she can hear the cub's pack howling in the distance, and she sets off to reunite them. As the snow continues to fall, her own tracks vanish. Which way is home?

The story plays out successfully (dare I say of course?), and beautifully thanks to Cordell's rich ink-and-watercolor illustrations. The Caldecott judges had this to say in conferring the award: "Fairy tale elements in a strong sense of color and geometry offer an engrossing, emotionally charged story."

Although this story might have played on fear—will the wolves eat the little girl?—Cordell has a different objective. He wants to explore coexistence, and perhaps the emotions that we share with our fellow denizens of this earth, and the idea of safety and belonging. He acknowledges the help of a biologist from the Yellowstone Wolf Project who gave valuable input on wolf behavior—including, I surmise, wolf-human interactions. I like stories that are not just emotionally charged, but also try to teach us something about the world. Especially respect.

Here are a few illustrations from the book (click on them to view large on black). Notice the Red Riding Hood–like attire of the girl. And yet the message of the book is just the opposite of that tale.

The prolific author talks about his work in a series of YouTube interviews. Here is the first, thirty-second one, and it appears they just keep rolling one into the next. I'm going to make some time to watch them soon. The more time I spend with picture books, the more I appreciate the creativity and heart of their authors.