Here are 75 books that Big Wolf and Little Wolf fans have personally recommended if you like
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When I first started to teach my son how to be a good person, I came face-to-face with the question of what “goodness” even meant to me. Living in Taiwan at the time, I started studying what Chinese philosophy had to share on the topic, and I started drawing and writing stories that would make certain concepts easier for young readers to explore with their grown-ups. Parables and fables have long been engaging tools to convey morals and values. Though the values may change over time, I find the format to still be a wonderful tool to explore some of life's biggest questions.
I think empathy is such a doozy to convey without sounding preachy, and even more difficult for young children to grasp when their cognitive development might not be up to the task.
So, I love how Wenzel invites the reader to look at the same cat from different perspectives, like a mouse, a fox, a bird, and even the cat itself. How we perceive the world and ourselves depends on so many things that each perspective can be vastly different from one another, and each perspective is also valid.
They All Saw A Cat by Brendan Wenzel - New York Times bestseller and 2017 Caldecott Medal and Honor Book
"An ingenious idea, gorgeously realized." -Shelf Awareness, starred review "Both simple and ingenious in concept, Wenzel's book feels like a game changer." -The Huffington Post
The cat walked through the world, with its whiskers, ears, and paws . . . In this glorious celebration of observation, curiosity, and imagination, Brendan Wenzel shows us the many lives of one cat, and how perspective shapes what we see. When you see a cat, what do you see?
Everyone in Angelina's big family has a story to tell.
The Yesterday Dress is a story for seven to nine-year olds about family connections and how learning about the past gives us a stronger sense of where we come from, who we are and how we fit into our world.…
When I first started to teach my son how to be a good person, I came face-to-face with the question of what “goodness” even meant to me. Living in Taiwan at the time, I started studying what Chinese philosophy had to share on the topic, and I started drawing and writing stories that would make certain concepts easier for young readers to explore with their grown-ups. Parables and fables have long been engaging tools to convey morals and values. Though the values may change over time, I find the format to still be a wonderful tool to explore some of life's biggest questions.
I love this classic picture book, because it's so meaty.
I find it beautifully balanced with a clear, strong plot and supporting details. Having my own young kids helped me recognize how skillfully Sendak weaves what happens to the boy with what happens within his imagination.
Even more touching is while the mother's punishment puts the story into play, Sendak bookends it with a plaintive act of repair. As a mother myself, I've also said unkind things that I regret in a moment of frustration, and it's incredibly moving to have that recognized in such a simple way.
When Max puts on his wolf suit and makes mischief, his mother calls him 'Wild Thing' and sends him to bed without any supper. Alone in his room, Max enters a magical world and sets sail across the sea to the place where the wild things are. The wild things roar their terrible roars and gnash their terrible teeth and roll their terrible eyes and show their terrible claws . . . But Max tames the wild things and is made their king. Will he ever want to go home?
When I first started to teach my son how to be a good person, I came face-to-face with the question of what “goodness” even meant to me. Living in Taiwan at the time, I started studying what Chinese philosophy had to share on the topic, and I started drawing and writing stories that would make certain concepts easier for young readers to explore with their grown-ups. Parables and fables have long been engaging tools to convey morals and values. Though the values may change over time, I find the format to still be a wonderful tool to explore some of life's biggest questions.
While some people might find this book to be one where nothing happens, I find it as tickling as a pipe cleaner through the brain.
This isn't easy to do in a children's picture book, but Lindström is a master. I think sparseness in both the illustrations and the words is the book's biggest strength, as it challenges the reader to take a few meager breadcrumbs and try piece to something together, and the more you try, the deeper you go down the rabbit hole of good, evil, intention, and reality.
“The Bridge is so many things at once. It is very funny, it is very mysterious, it is very beautiful, and it is like no book I’ve ever seen. I love it very much.” —Jon Klassen
From beloved Swedish children’s author-illustrator Eva Lindström, The Bridge is the story of two wolves, one pig, and a bridge—and what it means to embrace the absurd twists and turns that life sometimes has in store. Perfect for fans of the down-to-earth charm and wisdom of William Steig and the sly wit of Jon Klassen.
Mamiachi & Me is a lyrical and empowering picture book about what it means to be a mariachi in an all‑female band.
Today, Rosa will take the stage next to her mami and play along with her popular mariachi band. But Rosa begins to worry. What if the audience doesn’t…
When I first started to teach my son how to be a good person, I came face-to-face with the question of what “goodness” even meant to me. Living in Taiwan at the time, I started studying what Chinese philosophy had to share on the topic, and I started drawing and writing stories that would make certain concepts easier for young readers to explore with their grown-ups. Parables and fables have long been engaging tools to convey morals and values. Though the values may change over time, I find the format to still be a wonderful tool to explore some of life's biggest questions.
Despite the constant presence of mobile devices, I think that life – at its core – is still an experience of watching and waiting.
I love that this book shows how we each wait for different things to happen, and how different things can make us happy. Things happen, some people come and stay, and some go, and nothing lasts forever. And that is also a part of life, a river that remains constantly in flux.
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author picked
Waiting
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why you should read it.
This book is for kids age
4,
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6, and
7.
What is this book about?
Caldecott Honor and Geisel Honor Book What are you waiting for? An owl, a puppy, a bear, a rabbit, and a pig-all toys arranged on a child's windowsill-wait for marvelous things to happen in this irresistible picture book by the New York Times-bestselling and Caldecott Medalist Kevin Henkes. Five friends sit happily on a windowsill, waiting for something amazing to happen. The owl is waiting for the moon. The pig is waiting for the rain. The bear is waiting for the wind. The puppy is waiting for the snow. And the rabbit is just looking out the window because he…
Throughout my childhood, my mother repeated the mantra, “Love your own, leave others alone.” Her purpose was to prevent me and my siblings from begging to keep every animal we saw. Arguably, the phrase had some impact because we obviously didn’t bring home every animal. (But we also adopted a opossum from the backyard and named him Mr. Jenkins, so you be the judge.) For as long as I can remember, I have loved finding fantasy adventure books that feature the animals I love so much as trusted companions. I hope you enjoy the books on this list as much as I do!
Moving away from middle-grade-specific books, my next recommendation is aimed at young adult and adult audiences.
When people hear animal companions in fantasy, wolves tend to come to mind pretty quickly. Toothbreaker focuses on a special group of people, Eritam, who have a unique gift of taming and working with wolves. So, there are wolves within this narrative!
A spin-off novella of Elrich’s Daughters of Tamnarae series, Toothbreaker is a fast-paced yet beautiful story of second chances, granting others and yourself grace, and finding purpose. My favorite part of this book, after the wolves, includes the ease in which readers can connect with Sage and the other characters.
Plus, there are references to other groups within the fantasy world—did someone say dragon tamers??
I have always loved a good sassy sidekick, human or otherwise. I started my first book, DragonBond, at the age of fifteen, and throughout the various drafts between its inception and its completion, the dragon Axen’s sass game has always been fierce. Since then, I’ve published a total of thirteen books, seven of which are in the Endonshan Chronicles series. I have a Master’s degree in psychology which I use to create well-rounded characters with unique quirks and personalities. I hope you enjoy these picks and all the snark contained within!
Wolfwalker launches straight into the action with healer Dion and her bonded wolf Hishn struggling to survive the aftermath of a beastly worlag attack. Hishn proves a stalwart companion with plenty of snark peppered in as they get caught up in a dramatic rescue taking them across the land and sea. Dion’s skills are put to the test as she tries to work out an ancient healing art that has killed everyone who’s attempted it in recent years, and her bond with Hishn proves to be key in solving the puzzle. The sweeping adventure in this novel carried me away. I felt the bond between Dion and Hishn brought a depth to the story that I greatly enjoyed.
Dion was a healer and a wolfwalker, and the unique telepathic bond that she shared with the wolf Gray Hishn sometimes seemed to amplify her sensitivity to her patients. But she never guessed how strong that bond could be, or what kind of power it could wield, until she found herself lost in the wilderness, with angry slavers at her heels and war on the horizon. Suddenly she and her fellow travelers were fighting for their lives in the snowy winter wastes, where the wolves were their only guides, the greatest secret of the ancients their only salvation...and Dion their…
Floretta- the story of an old woman who discovers life beautifully anew thru the helping hands of a child. The chakra colors of dawn and twilight are woven through the pages as the cycle of life is magically composed. The subject of “heaven,” has the potential to open discussions with…
Back in the mid-80s, at the tender age of 19, I dropped out of college, and with $800 of hard-earned cash and my bicycle, booked a one-way ticket to Europe. This would be the first chapter of a life of adventure and self-discovery. Through my experiences, I have gained a deeper understanding of the fundamental human qualities which transcend cultural boundaries—in short, the human condition. And what better way to explore the rich and varied tapestry of our collective humanity than through the stories we tell? I hope you enjoy my (far too abbreviated!) eclectic list of books.
As a young girl, most afternoons you could find me up a tree, book in hand. My favorite stories all had a common theme: animals. I felt a stronger connection to the animal world than to my own species. When I first read Julie of the Wolves at the age of 8, I was far too young to understand all the social implications of being a barely pubescent orphaned girl forced into a child marriage, but I resonated with the overwhelming desire to escape the confusion and pressures of human relationships. How I longed to be Julie, living among the wolves!
The thrilling Newbery Medal–winning classic about a girl lost on the Alaskan tundra and how she survives with the help of a wolf pack.
Julie of the Wolves is a staple in the canon of children’s literature and the first in the Julie trilogy. The survival theme makes it a good pick for readers of wilderness adventures such as My Side of the Mountain, Hatchet, or Island of the Blue Dolphins.
This edition, perfect for classroom or home use, includes John Schoenherr’s original scratchboard illustrations throughout, as well as bonus materials such as an introduction written by Jean Craighead George’s…
Music has been a passion ever since I joined my mother’s hippie jam sessions as a toddler. During my 17 years as a professional cellist-in-training, I tried Yo-Yo Ma’s Stradivarius and played Pachelbel’s Canon at a gazillion weddings. I even made it to Carnegie Hall, performing in a university orchestra on the gilded stage. But injuries, both physical and psychological, put an end to my classical music career. Trying to forget my cello years, I entered journalism, eventually becoming a staff health reporter at Canada’s national newspaper, The Globe and Mail. Later, when a percussion workshop triggered a dramatic shift in my perspective, I answered the call to explore music in a more expansive way.
This book enticed me with the audacity of its premise: a quasi-mystical connection between classical music and the feral nature of wolves.
Renowned pianist Hélène Grimaud grew up a rambunctious child in southern France who found meaning in the melodies of long-dead composers. Years later, on a dark Florida night, she has a chance encounter with a wolf. Lupine mythologies permeate her story, and psyche.
No longer content to admire wolves from a distance, she later founds a wolf conservation centre in upstate New York. While this book may not be a literary tour-de-force, I was enthralled by the theme of “rewilding” music.
An acclaimed French pianist describes her life-changing first encounter with a wolf hybrid in 1991, her efforts to protect the threatened wolf species, and her foundation of a wolf preserve on the grounds of her New York State home. Reprint. 20,000 first printing.
Found family is my favorite trope. You can change up the genre but give me a cast of loveable characters and you got me. It hits close to home, since when I left home to go to college, I created my own family. They are my Albany family, and we all still meet up at least twice a year no matter that we all live across the country. The bonds we created as we figured out who each of us was, are still strong to this day. I write stories that contain those same elements so everyone can experience the joys and tribulations of these bonds.
This book, well in fact this whole series is about family and what it means to create a new one.
Three guys are hiking in the woods and discover a broken wolf pack. This story is about the fight to save and heal this family. Yes, it centers around shifters, but that is not the focus of the book. The focus is on each of the characters and how they grow as a person.
You feel like you are living beside them, and that they are your friends. Each book focuses on a different pack member and what life changes they are going through with the change of leadership within the pack. Be prepared to want to binge-read them all as everyone asks themselves can this pack be saved?
A pack broken. A pup in danger. A submissive wolf who will fight with her last breath.
Hayden Scott doesn’t know his stroll in the woods is going to start with a backpack full of watermelon and end with him the new alpha of the Ghost Mountain Pack. A very traumatized pack, and those are only the shifters he can see. Too many are missing, hiding in the woods or worse.
His wolf doesn’t care. He has a pack. One with maple-sryup-covered toddlers, a ten-year-old boy who smells like wolf right up until he shifts, and a brave woman with…
“What does Dudley do all day while we’re away?” Sam wonders.
Mom explains that Dudley does ordinary dog things: he eats, naps, guards the house, and plays. But in Sam’s mind, Dudley’s day at home is anything but ordinary.
Delightful digital paintings depict the human activities Sam imagines Dudley is…
I'm a writer and poet who loved reading books set in fantasy worlds like Narnia as a child. When I began writing for children, I realised my own magical experiences had been on family trips to India, where goddesses and temples, palaces swarming with monkeys, ice-capped mountains, and elephant rides were part of everyday life. The term ‘magic realism’ seemed to better fit my own fantasy world, Indica. Here, elemental magic is rooted in the myths and culture of young hero Minou Moonshine, expanding her experiences and guiding the search for her destiny. The children’s books I've chosen also contain supernatural and magical elements which are intrinsic to the protagonist’s world – no wardrobe needed!
Wolf Lightdazzled me with its original premise. Three girls, born in different lands on the same day – Zula from Mongolia, Adoma from Ghana, and Linet from Cornwall – communicate through magic.
Zula is a shaman’s daughter, and her father shows her how to connect with her sisters, all destined to be guardians of the earth. Zula’s mountain home is threatened by copper-mining, Adoma’s forest by gold prospectors, and Linet is the guardian of the Linet Lake.
When their homelands are threatened, the girls must use their shared powers to defend them, at great cost to themselves.
'She weaves ancient storytelling magic into words of exceptional beauty... Everyone should read Badoe' Sophie Anderson, author of The House with Chicken Legs.
A leopard dances under the moon. A wolf prowls. A red-beaked bird flies free.
Three girls born on the same day in wolf light are bound together to protect the world. They can dazzle or destroy. They have wind-song and fire-fury at their fingertips, but their enemies are everywhere.
From the bleak steppes to the tropical forests of Ghana and the stormy moors of Cornwall, the lands they love are plundered and poisoned. The girls must rally…
