2018 School Spending Survey Report
Virginia Wolf
illus. by Isabelle Arsenault. unpaged. Kids Can. 2012. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-1-55453-649-8. LC number unavailable.
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PreS-Gr 2—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. When Virginia awakens in a wolfish mood, Vanessa uses her imagination to right the upside-down world. Through her wall paintings, she takes Virginia and readers out of the bad mood and into Bloomsberry, the perfect place. The wolfish mood is communicated not only through words ("Do not brush your teeth so loudly"), but also through the size and style of text. The louder Virginia howls, the larger and wilder the lettering becomes. As Vanessa's paintings develop, the wolf's silhouette changes into a girl wearing a hair bow. Gray shapes strewn across the pages settle down into the colorful and serene flowers of Bloomsberry. 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.—Carolyn Janssen, Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OHWhen Virginia wakes up with the "doldrums," her sister, Vanessa, tries to help, but nothing works until she suggests that Virginia think of a place where she would be happy. Vanessa then paints this imagined world. The illustrations, showing Virginia's transformation from wolf back to little girl, and of her world from gloom to glad, convey the isolation and chaos of a mind uneased.
When Sendak's Max wears his wolf suit, he acts out, but in this story, when Virginia wakes up feeling "wolfish," it signals the "doldrums." Virginia's gloominess settles on the household: "The whole house sank. Up became down. Bright became dim. Glad became gloom." Her kindly sister, Vanessa, tries treats, music, and humor, but nothing works until she suggests that Virginia think of a place where she would be happy. The artistic Vanessa then re-creates this imagined world in their bedroom using paint and colored paper. The forest that grows in the girls' room -- and from their imagination -- is bright and surreal, lifting Virginia's mood. The plum for adults is that the sisters are named Virginia and Vanessa, their brother is Thoby, and the sunny kingdom is "Bloomsberry," thus adding a level of literary and biographical resonance to the tale of sisterly love. Arsenault's illustrations, showing the gradual transformation of Virginia from wolf back to little girl, and of her world from gloom to glad, do a fine job of conveying the isolation and chaos of a mind uneased. sarah ellis
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