Wolf in the Snow

hmatherly
Nov 29, 2023
2 min read

Genre/Award/Honor

2018 Caldecott Medal

Age Group

PreK-6th

Plot Summary

A girl is lost in a snowstorm. So is a wolf pup. Their paths cross. How will they get home? The entire story is told without dialog or narration.

Justification

In addition to being a Caldecott Medal winner, the story interested me because it was a cold week at my home.

Illustration

The illustrations in Wolf in the Show are quite simple. They lack the sophistication and detail that I prefer in picture books, but the pen and ink watercolors convey the details needed to understand the story. Pale blue sky, yellow winter grass, contrast with the little girl’s bright red coat and the dark gray wolves. Expressive facial features tell us all we need to know about the story.

In this book, the story starts on the first page of the book, with 5 pages of pictures before the copyright and title pages. This prelude sets draws the reader into the story quickly, making the copyright and title pages almost a surprise. It allows the heart of the story, the girl’s long trek home in the snow, to start immediately after the title page.

Theme

The story spoke to me through the themes of being lost and alone, building trust, and the joy of being found. Both the girl and the wolf pup are lost and alone in the snowstorm. Both are cold and afraid when she picks up the pup. Just being found and having a companion makes the situation better.

Trust is another important theme. The pup must trust the girl to survive. The wolf mother must also trust her to have the pup returned. The girl trusts them both to stay alive.

Being lost and alone returns at the climax of the story. After returning the pup, the girl falls, exhausted, in the snow. But she has earned the wolf pack’s trust. The pack gathers near her and howls to help the search party find her. The pup keeps her warm. The humans are overjoyed to have found her.

Mood

Emotions are front and center in this wordless tale. Dogs bark, wolves howl, and the girl huffs in the cold, but everything else is conveyed through the drawings. The illustrations create a stark, cold feeling that pairs with the theme of being lost and alone.