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The Wild Before
Can one hare alone change the world? The captivating animal adventure destined to be loved by readers of all ages. A stunning hardback edition from the bestselling, much-loved author, Piers Torday. One stormy, snowy night, a pure silver calf is born on an ordinary muddy farm by the light of the moon. This is the legendary Mooncalf, whose arrival has been foretold since the dawn of time. According to a dream passed down from animal to animal, if the calf dies, a great terribleness will come - rising seas, a plague, skies raining down fire, the end of all things... and Little Hare vows to persuade all the animals to protect Mooncalf, whatever the cost. But it's easier said than done, and soon Little Hare realises that he is the only one who can save the world... A stunning prequel to the award-winning, bestselling The Last Wild trilogy, touching on timely themes of climate change, friendship, and above all, hope.
214 pages, Hardcover
Published August 19, 2021
About the author
Piers Torday
39 books225 followersPiers Torday is an award-winning and best-selling children's writer. Books include The Last Wild, The Dark Wild, The Wild Beyond, The Wild Before, There May Be a Castle, The Lost Magician, and The Frozen Sea, with his latest one, Midnight Treasure, out in September 2024. His work has been translated into 14 languages.
His plays include The Box of Delights (Wilton’s/RSC), Christmas Carol, The Child in the Snow, and The Wind in the Wilton’s (Wilton’s Music Hall). The Little Angel Theatre has adapted his book There May Be a Castle for the stage.
The son of Paul Torday (Salmon Fishing in the Yemen), he completed his father’s final unfinished novel, The Death of an Owl and co-founded the Paul Torday Memorial Prize for Debut Novelists over 60.
He has contributed short stories to Winter Magic, Scoop, and Return to Wonderland, nonfiction pieces for The Book of Hopes, The Writer’s Map, and Swallowed by a Whale, reviewed books for The Guardian, The Literary Review, and The Spectator, and judged The Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize, The Costa Book Awards, and the British Book Awards.
Piers is also Chair of the Society of Authors Sustainability Steering Committee, a trustee of The Unicorn Theatre, Patron of Shrewsbury Book Fest and an Artistic Associate at Wilton’s Music Hall.
His plays include The Box of Delights (Wilton’s/RSC), Christmas Carol, The Child in the Snow, and The Wind in the Wilton’s (Wilton’s Music Hall). The Little Angel Theatre has adapted his book There May Be a Castle for the stage.
The son of Paul Torday (Salmon Fishing in the Yemen), he completed his father’s final unfinished novel, The Death of an Owl and co-founded the Paul Torday Memorial Prize for Debut Novelists over 60.
He has contributed short stories to Winter Magic, Scoop, and Return to Wonderland, nonfiction pieces for The Book of Hopes, The Writer’s Map, and Swallowed by a Whale, reviewed books for The Guardian, The Literary Review, and The Spectator, and judged The Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize, The Costa Book Awards, and the British Book Awards.
Piers is also Chair of the Society of Authors Sustainability Steering Committee, a trustee of The Unicorn Theatre, Patron of Shrewsbury Book Fest and an Artistic Associate at Wilton’s Music Hall.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
November 28, 2021
This is a prequel to The Last Wild series but you can read it as a standalone.
Also mentioned in my August Wrap Up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GttOu...
A little hare, named in a prophecy to save the world.. a beautiful story of how even small things can make big changes.
It's also so awesome to see the focus on climate change for younger readers.
3.5 stars
Also mentioned in my August Wrap Up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GttOu...
A little hare, named in a prophecy to save the world.. a beautiful story of how even small things can make big changes.
It's also so awesome to see the focus on climate change for younger readers.
3.5 stars
April 1, 2022
While I was a big fan of Torday's The Last Wild trilogy (and didn't much care for his There May Be a Castle), this prequel to the series was an utter disappointment. I don't know if my tastes changed or if the author's storytelling and writing isn't what it used to be. The first half of the novel feels aimless and redundant, I had a hard time concentrating on the words and picking the book back up. After that the pacing gets a bit better but the dialogues still feel unnatural and have no coherent flow. Also, many of the animals are supposed to be funny by showcasing silly quirks like rudeness (robin), singing (mouse), or exaggerated declarations of love (Bite-Hare), but instead of endearing I found them utterly annoying. Something else I can't get behind in a children's book published in 2021 is the use of disfigurement for a villainous character. Have you paid any attention to representation in the past few years?? The overall message of the novel is sad and urgent but also presented without subtlety: A great terribleness (climate crisis) is coming, only the young animals are willing to help, their parents don't think they can change anything anyway, somebody else can do it, and the humans are literally not listening to what the animals are saying. Metaphorically this has potential but to me it felt too blunt. The target audience might disagree with me though.
December 23, 2021
Amazing book that deserves to become an instant classic.
June 11, 2023
I have not read the other books in this series, so I'm judging the novel as a standalone. It was nicely written overall and I loved the small illustrations. I didn't realize this was a children's book tho, which is obviously my fault; but sometimes children's books are just as appealing to adults, this wasn't one of them, at least for me. The names such as "broth-hare" "sist-hare" "moth-hare" "fath-hare" "bite-hare" etc. Were just very obnoxious to me. Take a shot each time the word "hare" appears in this novel and your death is certain.
December 3, 2021
Rated 4 1/2 stars on my blog... The Wild Before is a great story that encompasses animals in the natural world and the climate. It is suitable for older middle-grade readers.
The Wild Before starts off illustrating different sorts of moon for the whole year. A different name per month. There's also a glossary so children can totally understand the animals.
Readers get to know Little Hare first, who runs ever so fast to find where Dandelion Hill was. From the start you can tell there is something not right. Little Hare is on a mission to find the wild and to pass on an urgent message. Wildeness is in charge, but he encounters wolves who claim to be guardians of Wildeness in the north.... The book then goes onto the first chapter and beyond. It's absolutely beautifully written and captivating by the tension created and trepidation. In an instant you care about Little Hare and what she has to say and hope he survives. There is also Bite-Hare, Sist-Hare and Run-Hare.
The book is cute in its storytelling and in its illustrations, but also shows some of the hardships that wildlife has. There are also dogs and humans to fear and to watch out for as the hares try to leave the farm they are on to go to try and travel northwards to get to speak with Wildeness. They also comes across Brock who is a badger and a harvest mouse, who has lots of songs. The mission also means trying to find a specific flower and that may require a human as the race is on to stop a virus.
The book highlights climate change and the sea levels rising and the hardships humans and animals have. The book also shows the natural world in action in all its magnificence and also the life and death within it and that concern animals have that their prey may capture them that day. The book also shows heirarchy in animals and Wildeness being at the top.
The Wild Before is like today's Animal's of Farthing Wood and Watership Down. It fits very well with these books in its themes and desire to read about the natural world and to care about it. It may be an emotional read for children, but one that they'll find compelling to say the least.
It has, amongst the adventure and all the dangers, an important message to convey to readers too.
Classes in schools are already reading this. There's much to read and discuss, but in saying that, it can also be read for pleasure at home too as middle grade readers will like being swept up in the storytelling and the adventure of it all.
The Wild Before starts off illustrating different sorts of moon for the whole year. A different name per month. There's also a glossary so children can totally understand the animals.
Readers get to know Little Hare first, who runs ever so fast to find where Dandelion Hill was. From the start you can tell there is something not right. Little Hare is on a mission to find the wild and to pass on an urgent message. Wildeness is in charge, but he encounters wolves who claim to be guardians of Wildeness in the north.... The book then goes onto the first chapter and beyond. It's absolutely beautifully written and captivating by the tension created and trepidation. In an instant you care about Little Hare and what she has to say and hope he survives. There is also Bite-Hare, Sist-Hare and Run-Hare.
The book is cute in its storytelling and in its illustrations, but also shows some of the hardships that wildlife has. There are also dogs and humans to fear and to watch out for as the hares try to leave the farm they are on to go to try and travel northwards to get to speak with Wildeness. They also comes across Brock who is a badger and a harvest mouse, who has lots of songs. The mission also means trying to find a specific flower and that may require a human as the race is on to stop a virus.
The book highlights climate change and the sea levels rising and the hardships humans and animals have. The book also shows the natural world in action in all its magnificence and also the life and death within it and that concern animals have that their prey may capture them that day. The book also shows heirarchy in animals and Wildeness being at the top.
The Wild Before is like today's Animal's of Farthing Wood and Watership Down. It fits very well with these books in its themes and desire to read about the natural world and to care about it. It may be an emotional read for children, but one that they'll find compelling to say the least.
It has, amongst the adventure and all the dangers, an important message to convey to readers too.
Classes in schools are already reading this. There's much to read and discuss, but in saying that, it can also be read for pleasure at home too as middle grade readers will like being swept up in the storytelling and the adventure of it all.
April 1, 2025
Don’t be deceived by the star rating - there’s much to admire in this book, and perhaps for someone who’s read the Last Wild trilogy there will be foreshadowing and connections that make this a richer text than I could appreciate.
The star rating is my confused attempt to quantify my feelings about this: for I can unequivocally claim to like the message of the book, but I can’t admit to liking its execution.
The whole reading experience left me wishing that things would go deeper, that the poetry of the nature descriptions would be transferred to the action of the plot, and that the solutions to the problems posed by the narrative would not be so blunt and lacking in mystery. All-caps is a bold (and seemingly contemporary?) way to emphasize one’s solutions in a text, and it’s hard to be subtle about the socially symbolic nature of a narrative’s message once you employ it. But subtly is precisely what I would want from this kind of story, a willingness to give children space to think as they read, rather than using narrative techniques to ramp up a sense of urgency.
I already feel urgency when thinking about the climate crisis - I can get that from reading the news. What I want from books are resources to help me think about it. The “flower of hope” is one such resource, but cruel though this may be, it wasn’t enough for me.
The influence of Greta Thunberg, acknowledged by the author, is palpable, and I don’t mean to say that influence is a bad thing. On the contrary. In conveying its message, the book works well. But as a novel (and I admit that this is ambiguous) I felt somewhat cheated, and wonder whether children readers might feel the same.
The star rating is my confused attempt to quantify my feelings about this: for I can unequivocally claim to like the message of the book, but I can’t admit to liking its execution.
The whole reading experience left me wishing that things would go deeper, that the poetry of the nature descriptions would be transferred to the action of the plot, and that the solutions to the problems posed by the narrative would not be so blunt and lacking in mystery. All-caps is a bold (and seemingly contemporary?) way to emphasize one’s solutions in a text, and it’s hard to be subtle about the socially symbolic nature of a narrative’s message once you employ it. But subtly is precisely what I would want from this kind of story, a willingness to give children space to think as they read, rather than using narrative techniques to ramp up a sense of urgency.
I already feel urgency when thinking about the climate crisis - I can get that from reading the news. What I want from books are resources to help me think about it. The “flower of hope” is one such resource, but cruel though this may be, it wasn’t enough for me.
The influence of Greta Thunberg, acknowledged by the author, is palpable, and I don’t mean to say that influence is a bad thing. On the contrary. In conveying its message, the book works well. But as a novel (and I admit that this is ambiguous) I felt somewhat cheated, and wonder whether children readers might feel the same.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 21, 2021
📖 New review.
[pr review copy]
Thank you @midas @pierstorday for my copy and having me on the review tour.
This book is out now 🎉
This felt like such a nostalgic read for me even though it’s new, it feels like the kind of equivalent to The Animals of farthing wood, which I loved when I was younger, this had that same feel for me but with the added highlighted focus on real world issues like pandemics and global warming at the forefront and raising that awareness for children of today.
I really liked the writing, it was beautiful and so descriptive, it has humour and also lots of heart. I loved the characters and following them on their adventure was a lot of fun and I would have really also loved this when I was younger too but because it has that focus on those important issues it’s something that adults can enjoy and resonate with, while providing that teachings and informative story for children too. Even though this is part of a series, it can be read as a stand-alone.
[pr review copy]
Thank you @midas @pierstorday for my copy and having me on the review tour.
This book is out now 🎉
This felt like such a nostalgic read for me even though it’s new, it feels like the kind of equivalent to The Animals of farthing wood, which I loved when I was younger, this had that same feel for me but with the added highlighted focus on real world issues like pandemics and global warming at the forefront and raising that awareness for children of today.
I really liked the writing, it was beautiful and so descriptive, it has humour and also lots of heart. I loved the characters and following them on their adventure was a lot of fun and I would have really also loved this when I was younger too but because it has that focus on those important issues it’s something that adults can enjoy and resonate with, while providing that teachings and informative story for children too. Even though this is part of a series, it can be read as a stand-alone.
August 18, 2021
Ok, confession time. I have not read The Last Wild. I'm sorry for it now; I enjoyed this, but I think it would have been even better if I'd caught the nods and winks. For instance, so much weight is given to one character mentioning another, the mentioned one must be important in Last. And, of course, this story doesn't really end, as it leads into those books.
As a story I did enjoy it. It calls to mind Watership Down, and that book about hares that I read as a child and never remember the name of. (Helpful, I know.) A lot of books with animal main characters have them act so human that they aren't really animals any more. This one avoids that and keeps them all animals in behaviour.
I'll be watching out for the rest of the series from now on, as I'd really enjoy reading them to see where this one leads, and I really enjoyed this. It's a great, touching read that I think will do really well.
As a story I did enjoy it. It calls to mind Watership Down, and that book about hares that I read as a child and never remember the name of. (Helpful, I know.) A lot of books with animal main characters have them act so human that they aren't really animals any more. This one avoids that and keeps them all animals in behaviour.
I'll be watching out for the rest of the series from now on, as I'd really enjoy reading them to see where this one leads, and I really enjoyed this. It's a great, touching read that I think will do really well.
August 22, 2021
I loved this book, and now will have to read the other books before this one. It is such a sweet book about a little hare who wants to save the world, it is such a magical story as he sets out on his quest to tell all the animals to protect a magical calf that has been born. I loved the story, I loved all the illustrations and it was just a fun and adventurous book to read. I feel as though I learnt things from this book including climate change and above all else friendship. I hope any child reading this book will feel the same and learn that there is hope out there. Even though this is a children's books I am an adult and thoroughly enjoyed it, so give it a go.
October 23, 2021
One of the best books I've ever read! Filled with beautiful language, and powerful themes.
January 9, 2022
Was good to return to the world of the Wildness.
Enjoyed how it set up the original “The Last Wild” and the nods and winks to other characters.
It felt like an extension not a simple cash in.
Enjoyed how it set up the original “The Last Wild” and the nods and winks to other characters.
It felt like an extension not a simple cash in.
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January 21, 2022this was such a lovely children's book! extremely well written with a very important message!
May 14, 2022
Bit monotonous but I realised that the backstory actually helped me u serdar do the books better. It was a while ago since I read the first three so this was like realisation. :)
September 15, 2022
great book, -1 star for the t-hare-ible hare puns.
May 6, 2023
Good book, however the ending was sad.
Im finding it a tradition in "the wild" books that the endings are a bit gloomy. not dissapointing though.
Im finding it a tradition in "the wild" books that the endings are a bit gloomy. not dissapointing though.
June 12, 2022
i first read the main book in year 5 for english class. i read it again in year 9 for fun. im now reading the prequel. let’s go.
update: and it kinda sucked.
update: and it kinda sucked.
September 22, 2021
All right. I haven't read the Wild trilogy, so you can take everything I say with a grain of salt. But there were many things that just didn't make sense to me. A human, genuinly able to speak with animals? A calf that just dissolves into thin air?
I love a good metaphor but... flower of hope?
Is there anything in this book that is new, unique and engaging that the readers of the Wild trilogy didn't already know or guessed?
I love a good metaphor but... flower of hope?
Is there anything in this book that is new, unique and engaging that the readers of the Wild trilogy didn't already know or guessed?
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews