Woolf

by Alex Latimer, Patrick Latimer (Illustrator)

A wolf and a sheep fall in love. They have a son that they call Woolf – he’s half wolf, half woolly sheep! This is Woolf’s story.

It’s not easy being different – not quite fitting in with one group or another. When Woolf tries to impress the wolves, he finds it fun for a while, but they’re a bit too wild. When when he tries to follow the sheep, he finds it all a bit, well, boring. Can Woolf find his own way in life and make his own friends that like him for who he is, not who he’s trying to be?

A funny and thought-provoking tale about being different.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction

32 pages, Paperback

First published June 8, 2017

About the author

Alex Latimer lives near the border of a national park so when not writing or drawing, he spends his free time shooing baboons out of his lounge. The Boy Who Cried Ninja is his first book for children. He lives in South Africa.

Reviews

[Bonnie Lambourn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wolf and sheep fall in love, have a mixed child - the story is about how the child copes, tries to fit in with each group, then finds an alternate group of friends. I really love the illustrations, and see some really good metaphors in the story. Where it lost getting a 5 from me is the solution which relies on the catching a one-liner somewhat, as all the friends have names that are mixed - horse fly, bullfrog, catfish. But if a child dealing with real feelings was insightful enough, they'd get that there are others in those groups, whereas Woolf is still the only one of his kind. For the younger child, it might be enough, but ideally I'd wish for a more satisfying resolution.

[Flora · Rating 2 out of 5]

Μίσος λύκος και μίσος πρόβατο ο Γουλφι ψάχνει την την ταυτότητα του και προσπαθεί να ενταχθεί αρνουμενος τον άλλο του μισό εαυτό αρχικά σε μια αγέλη λύκων και έπειτα σε ένα κοπάδι προβάτων. Σύντομα καταλαβαίνει πως δεν είναι εφικτό ζήσει μέσα σε κανένα από τα δύο αν προϋπόθεση για αυτό είναι να απαρνηθεί την άλλη του πλευρά. Η ιδεα μου άρεσε πολύ ωστόσο δεν μου άρεσε καθόλου το τέλος όπου τελικά ο Γουλφι κατέληξε διωγμένος τόσο από τα πρόβατα όσο και από τους λύκους να κάνει παρέα με άλλα πλάσματα που ήταν κι αυτά διαφορετικά και μισά-μισά. Τι λέει αυτό σε ένα παιδί που νιώθει διαφορετικό;Ότι δεν θα το αποδεχτούν ποτέ και η λύση είναι να βρει μια παρέα «απόκληρων»; Δε ξέρω ίσως είμαι υπερβολική αλλά με χάλασε πολύ αυτό.

[Valia · Rating 5 out of 5]

At night he'd baa at the moon

Honestly, the combo between a wolf and a sheep is ridiculous and I'm not sure it's even possible. But it's adorable book with a great message.

"If you try to be only a wolf or a sheep" said his dad, "You'll ignore the other half of who you are, and that will make you sad."

[Karina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This made me laugh so hard...but it also has a message about accepting yourself and your own quirky, weird uniqueness, and not changing yourself to fit into a clique. Loved the illustrations too!

[Anna Csala · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun book with interesting story and important meaning as well. Really cute and beautiful illustrations. My daughter loves it too! We read it many times.

[Theodora Tsoli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Εξαιρετικό !!!!!

[Zoë Siobhan Baillie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely story, great pictures and vocabulary, ends a bit abruptly.

[Maja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute and fun way of explaining the struggles of anyone torn between conflicting identities.

[Χρήστος Κούτσιανος · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ένα υπέροχο βιβλίο για την διαφορετικότητα και την αποδοχή 🖤🤍

[Sofia Pi · Rating 4 out of 5]

What happens when a lone sheep and a she-wolf fall in love? A Woolf happens… It is not exactly a lamb neither is a pup but a son with the soft woolly body of his father sheep and the pointy ears of his mother wolf. Alex Latimer, the well-known author from South Africa creates a lovely, warm story and his brother Patrick Latimer richly illustrates it.

Woolf grows up happy yet alone and when he sees a pack of wandering wolves he feels the need to join them renouncing his woolly sheep side. He shears the wool from his body to fit in better with the wolves, however he soon gets tired with the fact that he needed to hunt rabbits and to listen to rude comments about sheep so he leaves the pack. Another day, he encounters a flock of sheep and is so carried away by their tender voice that he decides to renounce his wolf side and join them. He uses some talcum powder and some curlers and spends his days pretending to be like the other sheep. Soon he leaves the flock too as he can’t bear the mean comments the sheep make for the wolves. Woolf feels like he doesn’t belong anywhere. His parents explain that he is special and accepting only his one half ignoring the other will make him only sad. So Woolf makes new friends among which a horsefly and a catfish!

So who is Woolf? Half Wolf, Half Sheep, All Heart as the title says. A picture book for many readers to identify, a story for the other, the immigrant,the bilingual child. A tale for all of us who come from diverse backgrounds, all of us who don’t fit in the mainstream, all of us who have never been popular and have tried desperately in our youth to fit in a group until we reconciled with our inner self, until we found happiness inside us. I enjoyed the book more than my little bookworm not only because I identified with Woolf but because of the witty illustrations, the unusual dress Alex Latimer sews for the so prevalent -in contemporary literature- idea of ‘tolerating the other’ and the sense of hope that arises it the end not from tolerating but by embracing.

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[Nicola · Rating 4 out of 5]

In general, a good story about learning to accept yourself just as you are (and to choose friends that accept you for who you are); in specifics, an approachable way of discussing families that blend multiple cultures.

Miss 4 and I like to explore different books and authors at the library, sometimes around particular topics or themes. We try to get different ones out every week or so; it's fun for both of us to have the variety and to look at a mix of new & favourite authors.

[Gabriella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good message from the book about embracing who you are and difference. Although the book is a picture book and quite simple I think all children could gain alot from it.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story about multiple identities, and trying to fit in, to find your place and where you are accepted for being all of you.