Wolf in the City

A wolf statue with dreams of grandeur abandons its pedestal in the middle of a city’s “tired old square” in this heartening picture book from Wolf. Tired of the same old routine, including being pooped on by a pigeon, sleek, snowy-coated Wolf determines to join the magnificent monuments in the city center. With the help of a map and hopes of being adored, the protagonist seeks a place among the “famous, beautiful statues” in various locales, but routinely fails to find the right fit. “Fight with us!” invite a water fountain’s battling mercreatures, but Wolf is too peaceable to join in. A museum’s quiet seems appealing, but even the “most relaxed-looking statue” proves unfriendly—as do the self-absorbed effigies atop a nearby hill. Sympathetic lines describe Wolf’s ensuing melancholy while she “wandered through the city, lost and lonely,” and scribble-textured illustrations describe her downcast mood as she roams Europe-styled metropolitan spaces. Eventually, the heroine heads wearily back, where her arrival brings about both the appreciation she desires and the classic realization that there’s no place like home. Human characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 4–9. (Sept.)