book cover

Wild (Emily Hughes)

by Emily Hughes

Interest age: 4+
Reading age: 6+

Published by Flying Eye Books, 2013

  • Picture books

About this book

A little girl grows up in the wild woods, taught to talk by the birds, eat by the bears, and to play by the foxes. Then some very strange animals arrive and take her away from her forest home. They don't talk right, eat right or play correctly, and she's puzzled by their behaviour. But will someone so truly wild ever be tamed?

The debut picture book from Hawaiian author-illustrator Emily Hughes is truly exquisite. The wonderfully wild illustrations of woodland landscapes, rich with detail and in a soft, nostalgic colour palette, are slightly reminiscent of Richard Scarry, yet there's no doubt that Hughes' style is resolutely her own. Look out for the lovely endpapers and the two final spreads of the wild girl returning to her forest home, with her new friends the dog and the cat joining her, which are bursting with irrepresible energy and joy. A beautiful, memorable and distinctive picture book to share and to treasure.

About the author

Emily Hughes likes to walk outside. When she draws and writes she doesn't want to tell children things plainly — she believes children can discover it themselves. Using three aids she tries to help children understand her stories. One is through environment; using something natural is comforting and familiar. Also, green is a special colour, and joyful to use. Another is through feeling, which is harder to set; she tries to do this by using expression, body language and colour. The most exciting is in details.

She finds that children often see things that adults can't. She wants children to feel  powerful by what they notice. These are gifts made for the observant. She make books for all children, but perhaps she is making books for the child she was. Emily is of Hawaiian heritage and lives in London.

More books like this

Lists of recommended reads

Share this page Twitter Facebook LinkedIn