Bea Reviews The Wolf and His Shadow by Thierry Robberecht & Illustrated by Stéphanie Frippiat

Publisher: Clavis
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: October 11th, 2016
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | Barnes & Noble
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Blurb from goodreads:

Wolf is afraid, especially of his own shadow.

It’s big and black, and it has really big teeth.

Wolf is embarrassed.

The other wolves will surely make fun of him!
But one day, by a stroke of luck, Wolf discovers that his shadow can be very useful too….

A moving story about a wolf who overcomes his fears.

For brave (and not so brave) children ages 4 and up.

My Thoughts:

Wolf is deeply afraid of his own shadow, in part because he doesn't understand what it is. He's not as brave, or so he thinks, as his peers and deeply embarrassed that they will find out about his fears and make fun of him. But then one day he accidentally does something brave and becomes a hero.

Inspired by an Aesop's fable, the story gently encourages children to own up to their fears and not to be embarrassed. I would have liked a more definitive resolution where Wolf actually does something, where he's proactive, instead of tripping into bravery. Nor did he ever deal with the fear of having his fear discovered by his friends. The artwork was a little odd, many of the animals, including the wolves, with odd proportions. Some children may enjoy the story but it could have been so much more.