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CM . . .
. Volume XXII Number 11. . . .November 13, 2015
excerpt:
Children in Early Years learn about the characteristics and needs of living things. Willow Dawson’s The Wolf-Birds demonstrates the ways in which wolves and ravens interact with each other. This book, set in the wild winter woods, gives readers a glimpse into the natural world and the fascinating relationship that exists between the two species. Ravens earned their title as wolf-birds due to their social attachment with wolves. Given their aerial vantage point, ravens often call wolves down on prey. The ravens then benefit by having the pickings leftover after the wolves have eaten their fill.
Recommended. Andrea Boyd is a student in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba. She enjoys reading children’s literature and travelling around the globe.
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The lyrical word choices soften the harsh nature of the story, though the illustrations show the reality of the hunt. The artwork was created using acrylic-on-board paintings. The paintings are reminiscent of well-known Canadian artist Ted Harrison. The bold and bright palette is Harrison’s, as are the broad brush strokes and swirling, rounded shapes. Dawson’s use of colour deliberately reflects the events transpiring in the story. On the pages where the predators capture their prey, red is featured as the dominant background colour whereas the background colours of the other pages mainly reflect snow white and clear skies.
Dawson is an award-winning Canadian illustrator and cartoonist. She teaches Creating Comics and Graphic Novels at the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies. Her book provides a simple introduction to the life cycle. Death and birth are both portrayed. An injured deer is run down by the pack and becomes the meal necessary to sustain the wolves and the birds. At book’s end, a litter of wolf pups and a raven sitting in a nest are illustrated. The endpapers neatly enfold the story. In the front, snow-bearing trees are depicted. The final endpapers show those same trees devoid of snow and with the buds of new life emerging.