Wolf in the Snow by Matthew Cordell

When this won the Caldecott last year, I read this book and... didn't quite get it. The illustrations were somewhat primitive and almost too simple. 

The story was also somewhat simplistic with apparently no character development. 

What was the big deal here?  

Last month, on a whim I picked it up again to read to my Pre-K class. They had been pretty antsy the past few days and I decided going with a wordless book would be great since I could speed through it or linger over it depending on their behavior. 

The Pre-K teacher warned me as she dropped them off that they were having a little bit of a hard day. 

So I decided I was going to speed through this book. But I couldn't help asking them a few questions.

What do you see in this picture? 

This little girl seems to be going somewhere, but her parents aren't. Where could she be going? Where do you go while your parents stay home? (School--surprisingly, this stumped them!)

As she leaves school, what is happening?  

What do you notice is different about one of these wolves? 

What is happening in this picture? 

Before I had gotten very far into the book, I suddenly realized the entire class was captivated. 

The story was simple enough they could understand it. The words being used to talk about each picture were often words they themselves came up with, so were understandable. 

I asked them about the emotions of each character. 

How were they feeling? 

One of the big questions the students really got into was--What would you do in this situation? Would you bring the baby wolf to his or her mother or bring the baby wolf home? 

The real dangers my rural students could enter into

Oh my goodness. This picture and...

....this one are so evocative of surprise and uncertainty. 

One emotion my students had a hard time identifying was relief. However, when I told them it was the feeling you have when you look up and don't see your Mom or Dad near you in the store and get scared and then turn around and see them right behind you; scared, but then glad, they understood it. 

Exhaustion sets in as night falls and the little girl heads home. 

Her family and dog are looking for her, but they are still far away.

What do you think the wolves are going to do to her? 

The gentleness of the wolves was a surprise.

Again, we talked about relief. 

And coziness. 

We spent over 15 minutes pouring over this book and discussing it in detail. And the students were completely absorbed in the drama and the possibilities in the story. 

And now, I am deeply in love with this book. I love it. Adore it. 

I think it is a book you need to spend time with. The lack of words leaves so much up to the reader. The first time I looked at it, I flipped through it quickly and missed the potential depth. 

But taking a little time, you see so much more.