Virginia Wolf
* "In the literary bounty of books about bad moods and bad days, this one goes deeper than most, poignantly showing literal and metaphorical glimpses of real depression. 'One day my sister Virginia woke up feeling wolfish. She made wolf sounds and did strange things,' begins narrator Vanessa. Huddled in bed, only pointy ears showing, is a wolf. Virginia's unable to bear the bright-yellow gingham of Vanessa's dress or the sound of Vanessa brushing her own teeth. This is potent misery: 'The whole house sank. Up became down. Bright became dim.' Vanessa creeps into bed to comfort her sister, but what finally helps is painting. At the wolf's suggestion, Vanessa paints a whimsical, expanding world called 'Bloomsberry,' bursting with blossoms, birds and magic. Arsenault reproduces the earlier 'Up became down' spread but inverts its position and hue: Now objects waft upwards and the mood is buoyant. The wolf -- previously a black near-silhouette with snout and tail, wearing a dress -- morphs back into a girl. Wolf ears, silhouetted from behind, become a hair bow. Ink, pencil and paint deftly divide color from black-and-white as emotional symbolism. Lettering is carefully handwritten. Knowledge of Virginia Woolf and her painter-sister Vanessa Bell is unnecessary; this works beautifully as a bad-day/bad-mood or animal-transformation tale, while readers who know actual depression will find it handled with tenderly forceful aplomb. (Picture book. 5-10)" --Kirkus(starred review)* "Drawing inspiration from Virginia Woolf and her sister, Maclear tells the story of two siblings who share a strong bond and creative spirit despite their dissimilar personalities. ... It is the delicacy of the mixed-media illustrations (ink, pencil, watercolor, gouache) that tames the feral Virginia and gives real strength to the story. Parents will enjoy sharing this book with their sometimes 'wolfish' children." --School Library Journal(starred review)"...an ambitious story about girlish blues, sisterly differences and the healing power of art. ...Isabelle Arsenault, who won a Times Best Illustrated award last year for her work on 'Migrant,' by Maxine Trottier, imaginatively and deliciously depicts a child's inner world." --New York Times