Book Review: The Wolf Suit by Sid Sharp
What a wonderfully nuanced and sensitive little graphic novel this is! Using the reverse of a "wolf in sheep’s clothing " story, Bellwether the nervous but determined sheep sets out in the world. What a sweet way to tackle tough topics like: of anxiety over the unknown, fear of not being accepted, masking your true nature as a self preservation/survival technique, conforming to fit in with a group and pushing your own needs aside, betraying your self worth for sake of others.
The illustrations are so whimsical, soft, and mesmerizing with bold colors and lots of black or dark contrasting tones. The emotion on each character’s face is just lovely, and really they’re all so expressive it enhances the bold message of the story! I really found this to be so perfectly relatable regardless of age, from children to adults! Additionally, it’s going to be a helpful tool to caregivers and teachers and therapists alike to help neurodivergent youth feel more confident, and open the floor for discussion about empathy, interpersonal relationships, and sense of self. I love using the fable/fairytale angle to encourage readers to empathize through anthropomorphic characters.
This is such a cozy and compelling read, and is an absolute must for any child or teen’s shelf. It’s a great exercise also for kids to create their own sheep and wolf’s costume in puppet form or 2D illustration, allowing them to engage in self exploration and the like in a safe way, and drive the point home from their reading! Love this as a read aloud book for families, too, as it gives plenty of room for talking points and emotional touchstones to explore between parent and child. I cannot recommend this enough!
It might be a little scary for kids in preschool/kindergarten to peruse alone, but it’s great for elementary and middle grade students to explore on their own. Parents will find a lot of opportunity for open ended discussion about building healthy sense of self and healthy friendships and finding a community that accepts you without having to hide who you really are! Would be wonderful for LGBTQ+ youth especially.
