The Hunt

by Margaux Othats

Part girl-power, part cautionary tale,  The Hunt  is a wordless picture book in which girls rock and bullies lose. A young girl builds and rebuilds a rock sculpture despite the efforts of two hunters to shoot her creation to bits every time she makes some progress. The girl persists, her sculpture taking shape and teaching the hunters a lesson about the creative spirit and the pointlessness of violence.

Genres: Picture Books

36 pages, Hardcover

Published February 7, 2017

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoughtful look at the power of creativity and the opposition it often faces. So often we tell children what they should be looking for instead of asking them what they would like to look for. I think this is a subtle (yet important) distinction to make; it really is a different process when you look closer - a difference that will be impactful in the years to come.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this wordless picture book two hunters are intent on shooting everything they encounter to smithereens. On the other hand, a young girl spends her time creating sculptures from the various rock formations she finds around her in a meadow. No sooner does it seem as though she has finished with her creation when the hunters destroy it. This happens over and over again, even while the determined girl fashions larger and more complicated shapes. Finally, she creates a huge wolfish-horse-like animal that chases the men away. It's clear that the book's message concerns resilience and the power of art and the creative spirit to restore hope and defeat violence, and I'm torn about how likely young readers are to understand its message. Still, it's an important one, worth taking a chance on and sharing with youngsters and planting seeds that might encourage them to "fight" hatred and violence with gentle ways and through symbols or artistic means.

[Eileen Winfrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interpreting a wordless book is part of the joy of the type. In the hunt, some big boys insist on shooting apart a little girl’s creations (made of rocks). She is triumphant in the end.
The way that the book opens makes it hard to read easily. Some 5th grade girls at a neighboring school give this book 5 stars because the girl in the story is victorious.

[Clarissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strange, but lovely.

[Kaila · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. beautifully illustrated wordless picture book.

[Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmm, the illustrations are beautiful and the general message about persisting in the face of violence/destruction is compelling, but the message/presentation seems mature for a wordless book. Maybe the power of the message is in the simplicity.