The Wolf's Secret

Deep in a forest, a wolf becomes entranced with a young woman singing. One day, however, the young woman’s father dies and she stops singing altogether.

Missing the enchanting song, the wolf goes on a quest to find the music that he loves and finds a magic bell that, when tied around his neck, allows him to speak to the young woman. He visits her and asks her to sing to him: in return, he will tell her the tales and legends of the forest.

Yet, as time goes on, the wolf grows thinner and thinner: he can no longer hunt with the bell tied around his neck, as all his prey hears him coming. Fortunately, when the young woman ties the bell around her neck, something wonderful happens that means they can live happily alongside each other.

This stunningly illustrated folk-tale style story is surely one of the most beautiful books you’ll read. Julia Sarda has created a mysterious, mythical forest in which a bereaved girl finds solace in the company of animals and the rich darkness of leaf and earth. Dahman and Digard’s story turns Red Riding Hood on its head and celebrates the connection we have with the natural world rather than our disconnect from it: less of a fairy-tale style warning of the danger of wild animals than an acknowledgement of the wild within ourselves. Gorgeous.