When I Was a Wolf by Liz Flanagan & illustrated by Nikola Aronova

When I Was a Wolf by Liz Flanagan and illustrated by Nikola Aronova is a beautiful story of family, friendship and dealing with complex feelings.

Jasmine absoloutely loves wolves. She doesn’t believe in the stereotype of the ‘big bad wolf’; she believes they are magical creatures – powerful yet wise. Jasmine also loves spending time with her mum. Life is happy until, bit by bit, things begin to change. Mum becomes ill and her best friend, Ella, starts spending time with the new girl at school who isn’t very nice. Jasmine feels very alone – like a wolf – and isn’t sure what to do with all her sadness.

Gran registers Jasmine for a new art club. This is a place of happiness: somewhere she can channel all her worries into creativity. Jasmine builds a huge wolf lantern for the town parade. Maybe Mum will be well enough to come see it. Maybe Ella will want to join in Maybe…

This is an incredibly powerful story – small but mighty. That’s what’s so special about books from Barrington Stoke. They take all the emotion, empathy and real life situations of a meaningful story and wrap them up in an accessible package perfect for the young readers who need it the most.

The lantern parade is similar to one held in my own village each Christmas. Throughout the autumn term, members of the community, including school children and uniformed groups, are able to attend sessions to create the beautiful lanterns. It’s a special experience for everyone that really draws the community together.

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