The Wilderness

by Steve McCarthy

This is a real adventure book, so be careful not to get too lost between its pages...
The Vasylenko family are adventurers. They all love the wet and the wild, the thrill of exploring the outside world. All that is ... except Oktober. He prefers the warm and safe comfort of the inside world, and for his adventures to take place between the pages of a book. But tomorrow, Oktober has to join his family on a trek into the slimy, grimy and climby wild, where he sees only danger and worry and fears a creature called "The Wilderness"! Failing to keep his wits about him could be dangerous though – it may even get him a bit ... lost. But perhaps getting lost is just what Oktober needs to find himself and maybe even make an unexpected friend. The Wilderness is a wild and wondrous story of true bravery and discovering friendship in the most unexpected of places, perfect for adventurers and the more timid alike.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Adventure, Family, Nature, Fiction, Emotion

40 pages, Hardcover

Published September 1, 2022

About the author

Steve McCarthy is an Irish designer, illustrator, and author. His early career was devoted to traditional animation and background design, most notably for the 2015 Oscar-nominated animated feature film Song of the Sea. He is also the illustrator of A Sailor Went to Sea, Sea, Sea; The One with the Waggly Tail; and Sally Go Round the Stars, all by Sarah Webb. The Wilderness is his author-illustrator debut and was inspired by the freedom of his homeschooled childhood. Steve McCarthy lives in southeast London.

Reviews

[Jasmine from How Useful It Is · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book for my toddler's bedtime. A great read! This story started right on the inside of the cover, with an introduction to all of the things that existed in the wilderness and their different personalities. Then there's an introduction to each person in the family. My toddler and I loved the characters in their sleep best. The author and illustrator did a great job presenting each character's individual personalities in their sleep. There are 14 of them with each of the 12 kids named each month of the year.

This family liked to explore the wilderness, except one kid. He preferred to explore through books so he could avoid slimy, wet, cold, etc.. One day; however, his parents convinced him to join them for an adventure. The mom and dad each gave good advices The kid was afraid of the wilderness and everything he saw turned into scary creatures. Unexpected events happened and the kid got brave and did something he didn't know he could and learned something he couldn't learn in books. An excellent story! Beautiful illustrations.

Thank you Candlewick Press for the opportunity to read and review!

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can already tell this is going to be my favorite picture book I read in 2024 for art AND story. Five glowing stars!

[Helena · Rating 5 out of 5]

ahhhh the illustrations are ADORABLE and the color scheme is SO COZY and the bravery theme was ON POINT! love love love this!

[Ellee Nichols · Rating 4 out of 5]

Copyright date: 2023
Star rating: 4
Award: N/A
Genre: adventure
Summary w/ themes: This book is about a family that has 12 kids named avatar each month of the year that all like to go on adventures. Oktober prefers to get his adventures from books and stay inside, but he is forced outside on a trip with his family. While he is outside, he gets lost and wanders upon a creature called the wilderness who helps take him home. This book has themes of family and adventure.
Use for future classroom: This would be a fun book to read during fall to talk about how sometimes we need to get out of our comfort zones.
Thoughts of book: I thought this was a cute book. I enjoyed the illustrations and the storyline but I wish that the book would have talked more about how it is okay to be weary of adventures.

[Milton Public Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an enchanting book about a family who adventures everyday and their one little one who is looking for the Wilderness, along with adventure outside of his beloved books. As they venture into nature, they do find the Wilderness, but it turns out it isn't as scary as he imagined. This is just one of those picture books where the illustrations only enhance the journey. It is heartwarming to see this family loving nature and learning together along the way. McCarthy celebrates the individual, love of learning, and the spirit of discovery.

Find it in our SHARE Catalog today!

Ashley C. / Milton Public Library #CheckOutMPL

[Kiera Beddes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oktober Vasylenko is a bit of an outlier in his adventurous family. While they love exploring the outdoors, Oktober prefers to be inside, exploring the pages of a book. One day the Vasylenko family goes on an outing together and Oktober gets lost. Will Oktober make it home ok?

A bookish little dude who would rather read than go outside? Me too. The Wilderness is so beautifully illustrated. The author & illustrator worked on the animated movie Song of the Sea and this book gave me a lot of the same vibes. It’s such a sweet story of finding wonder and awe in places or things that you might be scared of.

[Jessica Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s hard to know where to start when talking about The Wilderness. It’s just a fantastic book from beginning to end. The story in and of itself is spot-on. This metaphor for facing fears is something kids will immediately relate to. Steve McCarthy’s prose is conversational and his pacing perfect.

Equally enjoyable is McCarthy’s vibrant, stylized illustrations that immediately draw you in. His use of color and texture is fantastic, with his images always giving you just a little bit more to explore.

The Wilderness is an excellent picture book that kids and their grownups will love.

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A boy who’s afraid of wilderness is forced by his large family to face his fears by trudging right into terra incognita. Adventure ensues, and he ends up making an unlikely friend in the process of finding his way home. The direct address to “dear reader” seems awkward, and words like “trepidatious” sound out of place for a picture book audience. Some of the illustrations seem like they are still in the concept phase, such as the storyboard collages in the middle and at the end of the story, which give them an unfinished look and the overall book a sense of incompleteness.

[Rachael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeously and cleverly illustrated, I particularly loved the "LOST" page, and how the Wildnerness was portrayed! "It's OK to be scared. I get scared too. Scared is how you feel, but bravery is what you do, so let's do this together and be twice as brave" I love this message so much, validating kids fears but also encouraging them to try anyway, and that there's no shame in doing it with a grown up.

[Jacaranda21 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oktober prefers his adventures in books to the real thing. His family prefer being outside for their adventures. This story is the day that Oktober is persuaded by his parents to go outside. Follow his adventure as he discovers something about the wilderness.
Fantastic illustrations, with Oktober’s 11 siblings, there is plenty to chat about. Lots of variation in the page layout, adding to readers adventure.
Definitely a book to share.

[Devin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best book I ever heard in the whole wide world. Anyway the wilderness was an actually a monster after all octopus was very brave that time, but firstly, he waved because he knew that the wilderness was very scared. So October was brave and he climbed onto the wilderness and he saw his house and the wilderness took him back to his own home and met his mum and dad and her dad said nice to meet you.

[Jame_EReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

👦🏻 review: this book makes me smile. I love the illustrations and the story is simple and fun. I want to point out that the colorful and artistic illustrations are attractive. The story is very good especially for younger readers and a fun read for kids my age.

[Cara Byrne · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are so many things to love about this book: the imaginative story, Mama Mariana and Papa Everest's children named for the 12 months, and the gorgeous art. This is one of those picture books that offers so much with each read aloud. My six and nine year olds both really enjoyed it!

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Vasylenko family are adventurers. But their son Oktober is afraid of the wild, afraid of most adventures, afraid of monsters. One day, Oktober ends up in the wilderness, meets a monster, and faces danger. What will become of poor Oktober? The illustrations really contribute to this book!

[Wade Huggins · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Wilderness is a story about a family that enjoys adventuring into the wild. One child in the family enjoys reading and taking his adventures inside books rather than in the wild with the rest of the family. The illustrations are very very detailed and children will enjoy looking for Oktober who likes the indoors on each page. The family of 12 children presents as very multicultural. The book would make a good read aloud for a SEL lesson on friendship and seeing the world in a different manner. The end pages contain an unneeded reference to rude cactus being flatulent.

[Gina Soldano · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was such a fun read. My son devours every single word each time we read. He's 5 and he KNOWS when I've missed anything, even the hilarious end pages. Readers WILL get lost in these pages. Highly recommend!

[Hailee Mumme · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The more we know, the less scary things will be.”

&

“Maybe you just need to see where you’ve been from a different point of view.”

I’m enamored by the multiple mediums used between these colorful, beautiful pages.

[Thebulversaint · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just brilliant! Funny and clever in its storytelling ability. The amount of details in the drawings is overwhelming.

[Bianca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really cute storyline about overcoming fears and worries, amazing illustrations with gorgeous textures, and adorable characters!

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

fun, engaging, striking (and detailed) illustration. The creature that is the wilderness is fantastic.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

5 stars for art. 3 stars for the story. I felt like parts were missing; it just felt disjointed.

[Awjtf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful book!

[Emily Graves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such writer craft and a delightful story. Could use this for countless mini-lessons and as a mentor text in a handful of units!

[Kacey Lundgren · Rating 4 out of 5]

My three year old was entranced by this book. We read it several times and she always went back to the pages with The Wilderness on them. The artwork was great. Fun find at the library!

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this. Cute story, fun illustrations.

[Addie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty! 23 month old liked it too

[Annie MacPherson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute! Has a videogame narrative feel 🎮

[Jarrod · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magical images throughout with an important message about the wonder and beauty of nature

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bit odd, but great art and message.

[Tel Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Well, I go where the wind takes me," said the Wilderness. "And I never know where I'll be, so it takes someone getting lost to find me." ❤️