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Being a parent I wish I had all of the answers. Three year olds are full of questions and a lot of the time struggle with things they are thinking or feeling. Sometimes even if I try to explain something to Erin she doesn’t really understand what I’m saying so I have to look for other ways to do things. I always find that books can really help in these kinds of situations.
We’ve recently been reading The Way Home For Wolf, which is the fourth book in a series of picture books by Rachel Bright and Jim Field, including The Lion Inside, The Koala Who Could and The Squirrels Who Squabbled.
Erin is at the age now where she wants to be fiercely independent and she gets her stubborn streak from me. Sometimes, it seems impossible to be able to explain to her why she might need help or why she might not be able to do everything alone. Being able to see Wilf get into a situation where he really did need help made it easier to explain some things to Erin.
In the story, Wilf is just like Erin; he thinks he’s bigger and older than he actually is and wants to do things past what he is actually able to do. Instead of leading the pack like he wanted to, Wilf ends up dragging behind then finding himself in trouble. When he thinks that he can’t be helped, an unexpected rescue comes his way.
The Way Home For Wolf not only helps children to understand that it’s okay to ask for help if they need it but that help can come from all different kinds of people. We live in quite a small town with very little diversity so books particularly help us to explain differences to Erin as well as enable us to answer any questions she might have. Young Wilf learns that it’s not only the wolves that he can trust but also sea unicorns and walruses.
Even though The Way Home For Wolf has an important message it doesn’t stop the book from being really fun to read. The quick rhymes help to keep the pace going while the incredible artwork really help the words on the page to come alive. The Arctic is captured beautifully in the illustrations, from the harsh conditions of the mountain edge to the lonely night Wilf spends alone.
As a family we love reading and this book in particular gives us the opportunity to spend some real, quality time together while reading a wonderful story and talking to Erin about some important topics.
The Way Home For Wolf is available to purchase in paperback now and can be purchased on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2YJkILO
This sounds like a lovely book. The illustrations look fab, and what a nice message. Very important to teach them to ask for help!
Love the message in this book – a lovely way to get across that it’s okay to ask for help.
We’re huge Rachel Bright and Jim Field fans and have the other three books. I didn’t realise there was a new one from them. I’ll be buying it when we’re in the UK later this month. I personally love the books for the hidden messages they contain!
Ah another lovely book! You are the best at giving me the inspo I need for our Christmas wishlist. Dex loves wolves as well so this will be perfect!
It does sound like a great book and so helpful! I love the illustration on the front, so cute!
We have been reading this book too and have really enjoyed it! The pictures are so beautiful and we love the message within the story!
This looks a fab story and one we would love to read together.
Such a lovely book with an important message. I love books that get things across to kids this way!
Rachel Bright and Jim Field are such a dream team. We were lucky enough to meet both of them at the Edinburgh Book Festival last year.
Aw, lovely looking book. I miss reading to my boys now they are teenagers! And on another note Erin reminds me of a mini Greta Thurnberg 🙂
Sounds like a wonderful book, with a good moral coming through it too. Reading together is so important.