Wolf in the Snow facts for kids
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| Author | Matthew Cordell |
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| Publisher | Feiwel & Friends |
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Publication date
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January 3, 2017 |
| Pages | 48 |
| Awards | Caldecott Medal |
| ISBN | 978-1250076366 |
| OCLC | 1001724046 |
Wolf in the Snow is a 2017 wordless picture book by Matthew Cordell. The book was favorably received by critics and won the 2018 Caldecott Award. The story has drawn comparisons to fairy tales like Little Red Riding Hood. The nearly wordless book tells the story of a girl and wolf who each get lost in the snowstorm. Cordell used distinctive illustration techniques for the girl and the wolf.
Plot
In this nearly wordless picture book a girl and a wolf each get lost in a snowstorm. The two meet as the storm ends and the girl picks up the wolf and follows the sounds of wolves she hears, encountering some dangers along the way. After returning the wolf to its mother the girl gets lost and falls. The wolves howl to let one of the girl's searching parents know where to find her. The words that are present reflect the sounds and actions of the story.
Themes and illustrations
Several critics noted the parallels between Wolf in the Snow and fairy tales like Little Red Riding Hood. This allusion was something Cordell thought about. The concept for the book started with his drawing a girl in a red coat in a white field looking at a wolf, "I liked the graphic color combination of the black, the red, and the white. I liked the suspense created by the child and the wolf and the unanswered question of what was happening or not happening or what was going to happen between the two." Critics also noted the value of loyalty and kindness being returned by the wolves.
Cordell used blended watercolors in a "freeform" way for the illustrations. There is a marked contrast in the drawings between the way the girl, who is drawn "almost cartoonish[ly]" and the scary realism of the wolves. The importance and role of the book's typography drew comparisons to comic books.
