Wild

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.