By Meghan Mazzaferro
The Wolf Suit is a graphic novel that follows Bellwether, an anxious sheep who just wants to live comfortably in his house doing crafts and enjoying his own company. But every once and a while he needs to brave the forest in search of food, and after one too many close calls where Bellwether’s quest for lunch almost winds up with him becoming lunch, he decides he is done living in fear and puts his crafting skills to the test to build himself a wolf suit. Unfortunately for Bellwether, pretending to be a wolf isn’t easy, and he just might run into some real wolves on his travels.
This graphic novel chapter book is suitable for children six and up and is absolutely delightful. The story follows timid Bellwether as he pushes himself to be brave and leave the comforts of home in spite of the potential dangers. The plot takes a fun twist on the sheep versus wolf dynamic, and I enjoyed how Sharp took the time to let the story breathe. Bellwether is fleshed out as a character and each step of his journey feels well explored while still having a quick pace and a simple story to keep young readers entertained. This book would be great to read as a family, but the pages are also well organized, and the words are easy to read if the young reader in your life wants to dive into the story on their own. The book is also divided into short chapters, which means you can read the story as quickly, or slowly, as you want.
On top of the fun and exciting plot, the art style of this book stands out. It is relatively simple and not too cluttered with enough detail to keep the reader visually engaged. I particularly loved the contrast between the indoor and outdoor spaces and enjoyed how the visuals in the story contradict the narrator at times—while Bellwether feels safest inside, the minimalist and dark space seems so empty once the reader is introduced to the vibrance of the rest of the forest. The simple designs also highlight the important plot devices visually—particularly Bellwether’s window—which I loved.
I also found the character designs absolutely wonderful. Bellwether is a delight to look at, and there were several times when I had to pause and admire a particular expression (typically ones where Bellwether is especially stressed out or flustered because they were just too relatable). Likewise, I found the wolf characters both fun and scary to look at. It felt like we were seeing the wolves the way Bellwether would, and I found the claws in particular to be really well done. I appreciated how the art was interesting enough to hold readers of all ages’ attention while still being designed to not be too scary for the target audience. The art does an excellent job of complementing the writing and telling a complete story, and you can’t have one without the other.
Overall, I absolutely loved this book and the story it told. It does a great job of exploring a character type that most readers are familiar with while telling a fresh story in a fun and visually stimulating way, and I really appreciated the book’s overall message. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good graphic novel no matter their age, though I definitely think it would be especially fun to read as a family.
Thank you to Annick Press for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.