Rose Wolves

Rose Wolves #1

by Natalie Warner

This wordless two-color graphic novel is an enthralling fable about disability, companionship, and transformation, set in the haunting beauty of the wild. One day, a little girl picks an unusual flower from an unusual bush in the forest. Overnight, the flower blooms and turns into a magical a rose wolf, missing a leg just like she is missing an arm. Together, the new friends must go on a journey to find where they belong. In her graphic novel debut, Canadian cartoonist Natalie Warner presents a moody, tender, and captivating new fairy tale, without using a single word. Fans of Nightlights, Sheets, and The Tea Dragon Society will hold it close and read it again & again.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Fantasy, Comics, Fiction, Childrens, Graphic Novels Comics

84 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 11, 2020

Reviews

[s.penkevich [hiatus-will return-miss you all] · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the way an artist can capture so much emotion and narrative just through imagery. It is believed that visual storytelling is the oldest form of storytelling, with the first evidence of it found in the Chauvet cave in France dating back 36,000 years ago telling the story of a volcanic eruption. I’m glad we have graphic novels that still attempt to tell a story full of nuance and emotion without the use of words, such as we find in Natalie Warner’s Rose Wolves, a beautiful little fable about a girl who befriends a wolf that grows out of a flower. It is a touching tale with empowering disability representation that is perfect for both children and adults and deals with themes of friendship but also of letting go. A quick read that manages to convey a lot and fill your heart in such a short space.

I really like the simple and loose art style that only uses red and black (in the notes at the end Warner says the color was inspired by licorice candy) and manages to say a lot without any use of words. It is very fairy tale-esque with a girl finding a den of roses and taking one home, only to discover it grows into a wolf. The wolf mirrors the girl, both missing a limb, and instantly bond though as time passes the wolf’s floral tale begins to wilt and shed petals making the girl realize she must return the wolf to their world in order for them to flourish. It is a beautiful miniature fable about loving and letting go but never fear, it does have a happy ending.

This is a perfect little bedtime story for all ages to enjoy and would make excellent classroom material to discuss how narrative can be conveyed without the use of words and picking up on visual cues. It’s also just very touching and lovely to look at. Plus it is short so it is nice to revisit more than once, just like the girl returning to the woods to visit the wolf. A bit slight yet still a fulfilling and heartwarming read.

⅘

[Alexander Peterhans · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wordless graphic novel about a girl who is missing an arm, and a magical wolf who is missing a leg. It's very heartfelt, goes for big emotions and pretty much nails it. Beautiful monocolour art.

(Picked up a review copy through Edelweiss)

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

A wordless graphic novel tells the nothing tale of a girl who plucks a rose and finds herself with a wolf that is -- like herself -- lacking a limb and a little lost in the world. Bonding occurs.

So?

[Cherlynn | cherreading · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5⭐

Wasn't impressed at first read but decided to give it another chance after seeing all the glowing reviews and wondering what I was missing. I needed 2 more tries before I sorta formed my own conclusion about what was going on and the book's themes. While I like the inclusivity and how this is a wordless graphic novel, it's just not my cup of tea.

The illustrations are cute but the story left me confused. Is this a case of 'if you love something, set it free and if it's meant to be, it will come back to you?' and also 'Sometimes holding on hurts more than letting go?' Strange...

[Leonie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really cute read.

The art style is simple yet pretty with a lovely red/pink colour scheme, there is disability representation (the main character is missing an arm), and the fact that there is basically no text surprised but didn't bother me at all.

Overall I'd recommend this to readers of any age.


[I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.]

[Stay Fetters · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heartfelt wordless story that'll touch even the darkest of hearts.

This was super cute and sweet. It goes to show you that images can hold powerful messages.

[hope h. · Rating 4 out of 5]

a very sweet & short graphic novel with a perfectly cozy art style to match the heartwarming story. so cute and i really love seeing graphic novels doing stories without dialogue. it works just perfectly here! would recommend as a quick pick-me-up of a book.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

My brain loved this book. Taking a break from words I felt I could process the book faster? It made my ADHD so happy. Thank you for making a great book with your creative process at the end. This is what we need more of in publishing!

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a wordless piece, the artist did a phenomenal job conveying both empathy and the passage of time. To enhance the experience, I played some Jesita Reyes music in the background, which was beautifully immersive—though pro tip: there’s an author-supplied playlist included at the back of the book! I think this would be interesting to share with a child. Once they got over giggling that the flowers are sort of like poop, I think you could have an interesting conversation about what they think is going on.

[Sana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rose Wolves is pure visual storytelling and while I'm usually a fan of such stories, there's either something I'm missing here or it just didn't pack enough of an emotional punch for me because while I liked seeing the girl and the wolf bond, the whole thing is a bit underwhelming and in the vein of that's it? However, the sparse art in dark red tones (inspired by the taste of Twizzlers) evoked more of an emotional response than the story itself

[Ellon · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars (It was okay)

This is a wordless graphic novel. The author was inspired to write it by (among other things) kids who struggle with reading. While I appreciate the inspiration, I did not love this wordless book. I felt like it was hard to understand. I also wasn't a huge fan of the illustration style/color choices.

[🍓Sammi🍓 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read on Dec 31, 2024, but I don’t want it to count towards my reading challenge. I thought it was really cute, no words, minimal colors, but still able to portray a story.

[Vanna Book-Mage · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was beautiful. I could feel the story and also interpret it as my own.

[Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

We grabbed this book at the library, not realizing it had no words. I truly liked how we got to talk about the book, what we believed was happening, how the characters felt, and etc together. This made the experience very nice, and I'm glad we picked it up.

[Rebekah Burnette · Rating 5 out of 5]

ADORABLE 😍

[Sarah T. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very whimsical but too short.

[Steff Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Natalie Warner's Rose Wolves is an incredibly poignant and creative tale. Paired with absolutely beautiful and whimsical artwork, the story follows a young girl who finds and plucks a rose one day on a solitary walk. That rose blooms overnight into an adorable little creature—christened as a rose wolf, though much more reminiscent of a puppy to me—to whom the little girl grows quickly attached.

Unfortunately, now that this baby wolf has been separated from its pack, the bloom of their tail—as with any plucked rose—begins to lose its petals. So, in order to save her newfound friend, this young girl must return them to their family. They start off on a journey to find their way back to the bush at which she had found and plucked the rose in the first place.

You can tell, though this tale, that the little girl is in need of some integral connection. The rose wolf provides this for her in a huge way, as it appears that her mother's time and attention is almost entirely taken up by the need to work. The story doesn't go into detail about this, but I think it speaks to something incredibly connective about people in general. We need and crave emotional closeness and finding it can be difficult. Thus, when we do find it, we have an urge to hold it tight to ourselves, even if it may be at someone's detriment.

What's beautiful about this story is that this little girl recognizes both her needs and the needs of this little creature who has found its way into her lap. And she is able to both satisfy her need for connection as well as the needs of this little rose wolf by returning them to their family and also making efforts to visit afterward.

I deeply enjoyed reading this story and I think you will, too.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super odd. Why is a rose growing out of the three legged creature's backside? I generally prefer stories to be more clear and straightforward with their message/purpose. As a result, I'm not sure that I'd go out of my way to read more by this author. However, I feel like I had to give it three stars because even with this extreme minimalist approach (only two color drawings & only one page contained words) it still manages covey many ideas pretty effectively. I was bothered by the fact that a few of the drawings were so crude/basic. Also, the MC seemed underdeveloped to me. I didn't have a sense of what the MC's personality was. On the other hand, it seems like Warner has the potential fill these gaps.

[Sadie-Jane Huff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 347 of 350 ~ 2025

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 - Book 1

Book 348 of 350 ~ 2025

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 - Book 2

When a story so beautiful is told with just images and no words and you feel everything.

Reminds me of Samurai Jack and another series by the same creator Primal.

I received a complimentary copy of the ebooks. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#book347of350 #book348of350 #amreading #netgalley tbrpile instareads readstagram reading bookreview bookreviewer booklover booksAreLife booksForTheWin booknerds thisbookfairyisreading bookstagram bookstagrammer bookstagramfeature bookshelf booksofinstagram bookish bookworm goodreads booklovers bookaddict theSGbookfairyReads #theSGtrekkiereads bookaholic bookchallenge2025 reviews lovebooks

[Laura Rubia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoy reading graphic novels because sometimes a picture is, in fact, worth a thousand words. A story about companionship, quiet understanding and disability representation in a natural beautiful way.
Our FMC goes for a walk where she finds a mysterious branch and a rose. However, at night and under the moonlight, the rose turns into a wolf who's missing a limb, same as our main protagonist. They bond and connect in a beautiful way, and all of this without the need for a single word.
A lovely beautiful read.
Reading the author's brain-storming ideas and inspirations for the story at the end was very interesting as well. 3.5 stars 🌟
Thank you to netgalley, the publisher and the author for my ARC copy!

[Milton Public Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wordless graphic novel that uses only two colors in the illustrations. The girl in the story finds a fantastical creature, a rose wolf, who has a disability similar to her own. The two of them become fast friends, but soon they realize that the wolf doesn't belong in the house with the girl...he must return to his wild roots. The story is magical, beautiful, and heart-warming!

Find it in our SHARE Catalog today!

Jayme A. / Milton Public Library #CheckOutMPL

[Kira K · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I just had to grab this book as the premise sounded so interesting and it was. The book handles the theme of disability in a sensitive manner and I’m sure that it will be great to help children get their heads around having an amputated limb. It was also an interesting creative choice to have the majority of the book in red with the title being rose and just the black for the wolf although with colourblindness being so common I’m not sure whether it would be as impactful for those with red colourblindness.

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why did a wordless children's picture book made me teary eyed?

This was absolutely adorable. Our main character heads into the woods, and when she picks a rose to bring home, she wakes up in the morning to find a Rose Wolf sleeping at the end of her bed. But, when the petals from their tail start wilting, they must team up to save her new friend.

This book is for anyone (of any age) who has experienced having a soul animal, but don't worry - there is a happy ending. Plus, the fact that it was wordless doesn't make the story any less meaningful, so it would be a great book to give to both small pre-reader children and older less-confident readers.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eArc!

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a wordless graphic novel. In it a child goes out wandering the woods. After falling down a cliff and going through a tunnel, they find a rosebush. They pick a rose, they bring at home, and in the moonlight, this rose turns into a wolf. But this wolf needs moonlight to survive. So, the child takes the Wolf back home to his family so that it may live to play another day. This was a very interesting story, it feels like a galley or an arc rather than a completed book. Not just because it lacks words, but because of the author’s illustration style. I like this and I like that a child could make the story what they want it to be without the words to him them.

[Eule Luftschloss · Rating 4 out of 5]

One day while playing in the wood, a girl picks a flower and put's it in a vase on her windowsill. not knowing that this was no ordinary plant.

The colour palette is in shades of pink and red, which was different and I liked it.
I also like that we have a disabled character in a middlegrade story and while their disability is acknowledged, the plot does not revolve around it.

Makes me excited to read Pilu in the Woods one day, and I would recommend this one to younger and older readers alike.

The arc was provided by the publisher.

[2 Kid Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are two 10-year olds. This is a book for young kids who want to be storytellers. The book has no words, giving a great opportunity for kids to tell the story in their head (or out loud) adding their own words.

The journey in the story in the story is very sweet. Even though there are no word, it’s probably better for kids who are at very least 8 years old, maybe a little older so they can figure out from the picture. Here is our full review… https://youtu.be/y6yx6a7YxY8

[Katrín Rós · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written entirely in pictures, not a word to be seen, this was SO cute.
The art style was adorable and the relationship between the girl and the rose wolf is just about the sweetest thing in the world. I loved how they connected through their shared disabilities, and how quickly their close bond was formed. I honestly teared up a little, even though it's so short.
Definitely recommend, and as there are no words just pics, this is perfect for those with dyslexia!

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the book description really oversold the goods here.

Being wordless, more weight falls on the illustrations to tell the story and I thought the illustrations were only okay. They were too muddled at times. And Immie’s fang bothered me too much. It wasn’t cute, just made me think of all of the ‘monster’ children drawn that way. (We know her name is Immie from the book description.)

The story is fine, at least the story ‘I’ understood.

[A Hopeless Romantic's Booklandia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was drawn to Rose Wolves because of the color, I liked the art style and how the color was mostly red. I was really intrigued when I skimmed the synopsis and read that it was wordless. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything like that before and I was looking forward to diving in and seeing how Ms. Warner was going to tell this story. I think she did a fantastic job! Rose Wolves was so unique, I really enjoyed the story and I’m glad I found it!

~ Sonja, 4.5 Stars

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet wordless graphic novel for children about Immie, a girl who finds one of the flowers in a rose bush blooms into a fantastical creature, a rose wolf. An adventure ensues, a journey. Both Immie and the rose wolf are missing limbs, but they in a sense "replace" what's missing with magic and the love of nature and friendship.