Victor: The wolf with worries by Catherine Rayner

"Wolves are BRAVE and BIG and FIERCE. They are very wolfish! 

Wolves do not worry about anything."

"This is Victor. Victor thinks he is not wolfish enough, and he is very worried about it. 

In fact, Victor worries about pretty much everything."

Victor worries about being not being brave so he pretends to be brave but then he worries that he might actually have to DO something brave - oh no. Victor worries that he is not big enough so he tries to pretend to be big but then he worries that he might have to DO something because others think he is big - oh no! Is he fierce enough? What if he frightens the others? Pretending is not working. 

Luckily Victor has a wonderful friend named Pablo. Pablo explains the idea that a problem shared is a problem halved. So, Victor opens up to his friend about all of his worries. Pablo has other strategies. Put the worry into a bubble and blow it away. Go for a run in the forest and take your mind off things for a while. And best of all Pablo explains that everyone worries and it is actually okay.

I am slightly torn about my feelings for this book. I am a major worrier - I wonder if this book could have helped me? I applaud the possible discussions this book are sure to generate. But are the solutions to Victor's worries too simple? I do have quite strong reservations about books that warrant the label 'bibliotherapy' but perhaps that is not the appropriate label for this book. Take a look at this thoughtful article from Horn Book Magazine about bibliotherapy. 

On the other hand, I adore the art in this book and all books illustrated by Catherine Rayner. See inside this book here. Her little wolf has such an expressive face and every page turn is just a delightful experience. And some of the strategies are very appropriate to share with young child. 

Blurb: Victor the wolf has lots of worries. He worries that he isn't brave enough, that he isn't big enough and that he isn't fierce enough. In fact, Victor feels anxious about almost everything. But when Victor shares his concerns with his best friend Pablo, he starts to feel a bit better. And with Pablo's help, Victor learns even more ways to deal with those pesky worrying thoughts. And as the worries grow smaller, Victor feels a bit bigger, a bit braver, and bit fiercer inside!

There is a very subtle difference between the front and back end papers of this book. At the front we see four birds flying over a lake towards the mountains and at the back it is the same scene but three birds are further away and only is still travelling over the lake.  Does this have a deeper meaning - perhaps. I need to do more thinking. 

My friend from Kinderbookswitheverything has worked with me to create Pinterest collection of picture books about worries and anxiety with over 120 titles. Here are a couple of screen shots.

Use the label below - Catherine Rayner - to see other books I have shared on this blog.