Winter is here. A boy is walking through the snowy woods at night-time, alone. As snow falls, the suspense builds: he is being followed by a wolf. The boy begins to run forwards through the snow. The wolf opens its jaws in glee, leaping across the snowy scene to pounce on the boy – and hug him! This stylish, monochrome wordless picturebook provides a suspenseful narrative playing upon a classic source of fear: walking home through the woods alone as animals watch you from afar. The change of tone signalled by the reader’s realisation that the wolf is a friend rather than an enemy will surprise young readers, and provide a blueprint for how their own cultural artefacts can challenge expectation in order to pursue a cultural and social goal. The endpapers reveal the lights of a town in the darkness of the scene, hinting at a point of discussion in the relationship between wolves and humans, fear and darkness.
