Wolfboy

by Andy Harkness

This dynamic picture book from an award-winning art director shows how feeling hangry can turn even the sweetest kid into a Wolfboy!

Wolfboy is hungry!

He’s drooly and growly and fussy!

As he stomps through the forest looking for rabbits, he grows hungrier and growlier by the minute! What will happen if Wolfboy can’t find those rabbits? And what will happen if he does?

With bold illustrations and energetic storytelling, Wolfboy perfectly captures the big feelings that come with being very hungry! Engaging for young readers and parents, this funny and fresh picture book is perfect for fans of Grumpy Monkey and The Bad Seed and will be an instant favorite.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Humor, Storytime, Childrens, Food, Monsters

40 pages, Unknown Binding

First published February 2, 2021

About the author

Andy Harkness attended the Columbus College of Art and Design in Ohio from 1991-1993 and was hired at Disney Feature Animation in 1994. He began his career as a clean-up animator on "Pocahontas", and after three years in clean-up, moved into the layout department. In 2004, he was hired as an Art Director at Sony Pictures Animation on "Open Season".

In 2006 Harkness moved back to Disney and worked as an Art Director and Visual Development artist on many films. His first children's book, BUG ZOO was published in 2016. He currently works as a visual development artist at Sony Pictures Animation.

Reviews

[Miranda Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wolfboy stomped beneath the shadowy trees. He was HUNGRY.

Oh no. The Wolfboy has a growly tummy.

And when he has a growly tummy, he chases after rabbits.

Those rabbits keep running further away and the longer he waits, the hungrier he gets.

What in the world should a hungry Wolfboy do?

I am SO impressed with this gorgeous book.

The text was rather cute and set up a solid storyline... but this is definitely one of those picture books where the illustrations completely take over.

The emotion and the body language conveyed in the pictures just totally brought this book to a completely different level.

I loved the way the little rabbits were hidden throughout the book and the sheer cuteness of their hiding spots.

All in all, this book gets a HUGE thumbs up from me!

Many thanks to Bloomsbury Children's Books and Andy Harkness for sending me a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

YouTube | Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Snapchat @miranda_reads

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book!

[Shaye Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wolfboy is huffy and drooly and growly and fussy! But will he gobble up the first rabbit that hops into this path? This one is super cute as most of us can relate to that awful feeling of being “hangry.” And the artwork is such fun!

Note from Harkness on the artwork: “Each piece of art begins with a rough pencil sketch projected onto a piece of glass as a guide for sculpting. The illustration is shaped in clay by hand, then wooden tools are used to create the smallest details. The clay sculptures are photographed outdoors in natural light and then digitally painted with as little retouching as possible.”

For more children's literature, middle grade literature, and YA literature reviews, feel free to visit my personal blog at The Miller Memo!

[Pam Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is adorable! The illustrations are amazing and I loved the author's note about how the illustrations were created. The ending of the book could not be sweeter for younger children who will love the bunnies!

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not sure why but my little girl loves this book and I love the illustrations in it!

[Lorryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was cute. The art reminds me of the claymation or whatever it's called from like the Coraline movie or Chicken Run.

[Julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

The most interesting thing about this book was the medium the artist used to create the illustrations, sculpting each scene in clay. However, I didn't like the style of the illustrations themselves, and the story was not anything much to speak of.

[Jessica Haider · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wolfboy is HANGRY and getting hangrier by the minute. This book was a fun read and it was illustrated with clay. that's right, clay!

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unusual artwork.

[BrookesEducationLibrarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This picture book is now available for loan from the SEC at Harcourt Hill Library

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wolfboy is hungry. Where are the rabbits?

A story that combines a little bit of scariness with a little bit of fun.

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun! You think Wolfboy is looking for bunnies to eat but....

Kids will have fun searching for the bunnies on each spread.

[Mrs Heidrich · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up to 4

This is a fun story with amazing artwork in clay to create the illustrations. I can imagine all kinds of fun lessons afterwards to come out of this. The wolf is hungry and looking for rabbits, but will he find them? You might be surprised... enjoy!

[Jules]

A hangry wolfboy scours hills, woods, and water for an elusive fluffle of bunnies! Can he find them? What will happen when he does?! A fun read with fantastic images that will have your loved ones begging for you to read it again and again. Children may delight in seeking out the bunnies, playing through the landscapes of pages (not quite every page) like Waldo in the "Where's Waldo" series.

Andy Harkness' illustrator's note on the artwork is a most welcome companion to the stories' tangible, textured, expressive clay world. The clay and text pop against a black background, with shadows and light contributing further to the immersive experience. As the wolfboy stomps through each page, he is accompanied by text that emphasizes his frustration with descriptive key words in bold. Harkness selects fun, vibrant words that are a delight to read aloud.

Thank you, Bloomsbury Children's Books for the advanced reader copy of this picture book! Expected publication on February 2, 2021.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

On the night of a full moon, Wolfboy is on the prowl for rabbits. He traverses creeks, forests, and ravines in search of them, and the further he goes, the more restless and hangry he becomes (that's hungry-angry, in case you didn't know!) He huffs, he growls, fusses, and so on, until he finds a pair of long ears in the grass... this delightful tale ends with a feast you wouldn't expect! Let's just say no bunnies were harmed in the making of this book. Wolfboy is delightfully funny, and you might feel tempted to stomp around with him as he goes!

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an electronic ARC from Bloomsbury Children's Books.
Wolfboy is hungry and the more he searches for the rabbits, the more descriptive words he adds to how he feels. He definitely represents what we all feel like when we're really hungry. Finally, the rabbits find him and share the pie they made for their feast.
Readers will love locating the rabbits as they hide on the pages. They can growl and stomp, etc. along with Wolfboy as the story is read aloud. Great read for preschool and lower elementary classes.

[Donna Maguire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to be added to Amazon UK and US on 18th February 2021 - publication day!

This was a really good book to read.

I really enjoyed the way that it was written and it had such a good flow to the story - we loved it and I liked the repetitive nature too, my daughter loved joining in so it was a hit for us at bedtime tonight.

The illustrations were great too - it is 4 stars from me for this one, a fun book to read with a good ending too - highly recommended!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dear Elena,

I saw *Wolfboy* available on Libby while searching for more storybooks to read to you. It was Day 19 in the NICU, and you had just been transferred to Texas Children's Hospital a day or two before. It was my first time visiting you there. The atmosphere was different from the other NICU—you were sharing a room with many other babies, so I had to read to you more softly than usual.

I chose this book because the art style on the cover reminded me of *Wallace and Gromit*. I hope by the time you read this, I've introduced you to them. Their clay-like animation and unique motion are what make them special. Also, the "O" in the title looked like one of those award badges they put on storybooks, so I thought I was being clever by reading you an award-winning book. But after reading it, I realized it wasn’t a badge—it was just a moon. In my defense, the iPhone screen is pretty small! Still, after finishing the book, I think it should definitely win an award.

*Wolfboy* is a delightful and heartwarming story, with fantastic artwork. I wish I could experience it for the first time all over again. It's definitely the best book I’ve read to you so far.

To end this review, I’ll say it the way Wolfboy would:

Elena, Elena, where are you?
I miss you,
I love you,

Your Titi Laura

[Belinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

DRC from Bloomsbury Children's Books

Everyone has been "hangry" at some point. Wolfboy is no exception. This creative figure stomps through the forest in search of rabbits. You can only imagine what will happen when he finds them. "Wolfboy" pairs fun illustrations, simple text, and repetitive adjectives as you follow along with Wolfboy and is the perfect way to talk about being grumpy because you are hungry.

I can absolutely see this being read in a storytime with all the action words being acted out. Retelling as a group would get kids and families active as you slogged, leaped, and marched. The illustrations are reminiscent of clay or playdough figures and would be perfect for an exploration into making your own characters after reading the book.

Paired with Creepy Carrots! by Aaron Reynolds, kids would have so much fun with both books in a storytime.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mister requested THIS one for his bedtime reading. Out of all the books, in all the world, this is the book he asks for as a sweet, gentle, calming, bedtime read (haha). With some trepidation and fears (on my part) that he would later have nightmares, we settled in to read Wolfboy.

I pointed out the bunnies, and Mister had fun searching for them on every spread. "Distract from the slavering Monster," was my thought. Then the story changed, and it reminded me of my childhood copy of the Little Golden Book's The Tawny Scrawny Lion. Ha, I see what you did there, Harkness, with your retro clay illustrations.

However, my four-year-old did not. That abrupt ending and those biscuits? cakes? whatever-they-weres? totally threw him for a loop! Okay, maybe we will give some credit to it being the end of the day and him being tired and being four-years-old and not as savvy. I explained. He stared. I explained again. He debated. I declared, "Bedtime!" And that was that.

p.s. He asked to read it again with Daddy, the next night. He was so excited to share the bunny monster book with his Daddy. Guess it made an impression.

[Carol V · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wolfboy, written and illustrated by Andy Harkness, brings to life molded clay. Wolfboy and rabbits are the leading cast members. This an excellent readaloud! Children will love this book as much as 1964 Caldecott award winning “Where the Wild Things Are?” This could also be a 2022 Caldecott contender!

The words of the story emphatically describe how Wolfboy feels in the book. Kids will love hearing the words repeat, with more and more energy! But, when Wolfboy action words describe what he does as he gets most upset, things begin to change! Just as he gives up finding rabbits, they come along with a BIG surprise.

Harkness molds clay for this book. To get texture and shadows on the scenes, he incorporates lighting for interesting effects. Colors make the story: The yellow full moon highlights the world in yellow, EXCEPT for white teeth and cottontails. Blue wolfboy appears scary to the readers, but NOT to the rabbits!!!! The scenery is dark 'n scary!!!

Kids will laugh and be glued to the pages! When the book ends, kids most certainly will clap. It is that kind of a book. Andy Harkness is a great storyteller and art designer.

[Jonny Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was really excited to get hold of Wolfboy, having seen a video on Bloomsbury’s YouTube showing the meticulous creative process of the creator.

Andy Harkness uses digital photo editing of detailed clay sculptures to tell the story of Wolfboy. As is familiar to parents and teachers worldwide, children become tyrants when they are hangry, and Wolfboy is no exception.

The mood and the language are all playful but the stand-out feature is the art itself. You’d expect nothing less from the Art Director of Moana!

Harkness makes the clay sing and the book teems with life. Even on the first read, I can picture a carpet full of children reading along, shouting and chanting the repeated parts.

Young children will love it, and it would be brilliant for children to make clay-art picturebooks in response.

[Abbey Heimlich · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't usually list all the picture books I read, but I feel so strongly about this one. It's AMAZING. The illustrations are photographs of sculpted clay (with a wee bit of digital retouching) which give it this amazing 3D feel, and are unlike any other illustrations I've seen. They also come across well on camera, and have details that also really reward an in person read. The story is great, with a repeating line to get kids really into it, and lines that build as the story goes on, offering a chance to talk about feelings. The ending is an opportunity to ask kids for predictions about what will happen, and talk about expectations and assumption. Give yourself 5 minutes of joy and read this book.

[Beth Bauman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mixed feelings about this. The illustrations are really cool, made out of plasticine or clay or something. Still, Barbara Reid did it better. :P It was fun looking for the rabbits in each picture.

The things that made me go "hmmm, not sure about that" were (1) Wolfboy's pretty nasty attitude about being hungry. I get that "hangry" is a real thing, but I don't know if we want to be normalizing and excusing being rude and insensitive just because we are hungry. (2) the ending, where Wolfboy doesn't actually eat the rabbits but rather eats pie. I guess it was an unexpected twist, and it was nice that the rabbits all lived, but that isn't really how wolves work. That said, fiction! :P So who knows. :shrug:

[Joshua Dodsworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice, short, subversive story, paired with a unique textural art style makes this a book that would fit well on anyone's bookshelf.

What starts off with the 'wolf boy' being perceived as the monster of the story hunting for some rabbits is revealed to us to be someone who is just a little 'hangry', and the rabbits (his friends) have made a 'moonberry' pie to satisfy his 'hangriness'

The art style drawn by Andy Harkness uses the texture of clay and sculpting to create a night time forest. A unique usage of colour and negative space to convey the loneliness and negative feelings someone might feel when they are 'hangry' - or just not feeling themselves - really makes you engaged with whats coming off the page and slows you down to take everything in.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The artwork in this one is just... wow. It brought back all my best memories of claymation from the '80s, plus a solid sense of humor portrayed through a hangry wolfboy stalking some rabbits. Reminiscent of Buddy and the Bunnies: In Don't Play with Your Food, but here Wolfboy and the rabbits were friends all along. Some great onomatopoeic bits that would be super fun to act out in storytime, but again, the art is the star of this show.

[Laura Giessler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of possibilities with this book! It's a fun read, with an unexpected twist at the end that lends itself to a conversation about assumptions/expectations. The text is simple but at the same time, has lots of vocab to devour. The illustrations are cool and different--textured clay sculptures--be sure to read the note on the art in the front. I like the use of dark and light. Younger readers will especially love finding the bunnies on each page. Provokes lots of discussion--about the illustrations, the vocabulary, predictions, etc.

[Stefanie Burns · Rating 3 out of 5]

Claymation-type illustrations instantly reminded my of Gumby. Wolfboy is just so hungry. Basically, he's hangry. And he's hunting rabbits. He finally finds them though they were late for the feast. The twist at the end is that they aren't his feast. They were having a feast together and they brought Wolfboy a moonberry pie. A Snickers might have helped too. The shadowing and use of light also reminded me of Creepy Carrots and Creepy Pair of Underwear by Aaron Reynolds. I would try pairing it with them.

[Calista · Rating 3 out of 5]

The artwork looks like clay. It is sculpted clay. She photographed it and then colored it digital is what it sounds like. The artwork is fun. I love the rabbits.

Wolfboy is Hangry and he is looking for rabbits. We assume they will be his meal. He is looking high and low and all over. He sure is grouchy. It’s a cute and fun story with just a hint of scary in it.

Do you think Wolfboy eats the rabbits at the end, or eats with the rabbits?

Kids who like a little bit of scary, but in a very safe and fun way will love this book. Mostly, this book makes you smile.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wolfboy is hungry. He is huffy, drooly, fussy, and growly, and he wants rabbits. What will happen when he finally finds those rabbits?

What happens when you get hungry? Wolfboy is a hilarious exploration of what happens when you get past the point of hungry. An engaging storyline will keep readers entertained and questioning what will happen throughout the story. While the illustrations made from sculpted and posed clay deliver a unique perspective that is fun and entertaining.