Wolf Girl by Jo Lorning-Fisher

"Sophy realised that the bear was COLD and LONELY outside. Maybe he had just been looking for a place to shelter, like them. He didn't look so big and scary any more. 

Sophy knew what she must do. 

As Sophy walked outside, she realised that sometimes being KIND was the BRAVEST thing of all."

Sophy is a lonely little girl but she finds solace in the world of her imagination. She slips on her wolf suit and climbs into her den. She feels fierce, fast, strong and a little bit brave.  After an especially distressing day at school, Sophy curls up inside her den.

"She hugged herself as hot, salty tears streamed down her cheeks."

Then some thing magical happens. Sophy finds herself in the forest with a mother wolf and her pup. She romps with them in the show covered forest until eventually they all take shelter in a cave. Unfortunately someone else is using this cave - a huge brown bear. Sophy yells at the bear and he retreats outside but then Sophy feels sad as you can read from my opening text quote.

The bear returns and all four snuggle up against the cold. When Sophy wakes up she finds she is back home but her dream has given her a new strength to face another day at school. 

The book design for Wolf Girl is brilliant. Glorious end papers which show Sophy's love of wolves, a dust jacket with a surprise underneath. I love books where the publisher takes a trouble to include a different image under the dust jacket - this rarely happens here in Australia.

I think I have found my newest favourite illustrator - Jo Loring-Fisher from the UK. Her art reminds me of Jon Klassen especially his book Extra Yarn. 

Bio for Jo Lorning-Fisher: Jo Loring-fisher is an artist, illustrator and storyteller based a stones throw away from Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England. She loves the countryside, and enjoys creating images using a range of materials including collage, inks, paint and printmaking. Much of her inspiration comes from observing nature and everyday life. She loves the scope of subjects that children's books cover, from light-hearted, to tackling the challenges we all face. She sometimes favours difficult subject matter softened by the use of her chosen materials. She is a recent graduate of Cambridge School of Art's MA in Children's Book Illustration.

This beautifully told and enchantingly illustrated story carries important themes of overcoming the isolating feeling of being shy, finding friends and most importantly, finding your voice, and will delight readers young and old. Reading Zone

We are so lucky that in my part of Sydney, Lifeline hold fabulous book fairs. Their fairs are created with enormous care and only books in near new condition are set out for sale. My book today is hardcover, first edition, with a dust jacket published in 2021 retail price $25 book fair price $1.  YES one dollar!

I would pair Wolf Girl with Blue Flower which is a book on the 2022 CBCA Picture Book of the Year short list.

You could also look for these:

Moon

Wolfie

The Wolf's Secret

Here are some other books illustrated by the talented Jo Loring-Fisher: