The Wilderness

By Author / Illustrator

Steve McCarthy

Genre

Adventure

Age range(s)

Publisher

Walker Books Ltd

ISBN

9781529515084

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

07-09-2023

Synopsis

This is a real adventure book, so be careful not to get too lost between its pages... The Vasylenko family are adventurers. They all love the wet and the wild, the thrill of exploring the outside world. All that is ... except Oktober. He prefers the warm and safe comfort of the inside world, and for his adventures to take place between the pages of a book.

But tomorrow, Oktober has to join his family on a trek into the slimy, grimy and climby wild, where he sees only danger and worry and fears a creature called "The Wilderness"! Failing to keep his wits about him could be dangerous though - it may even get him a bit ... lost. But perhaps getting lost is just what Oktober needs to find himself and maybe even make an unexpected friend.

The Wilderness is a wild and wondrous story of true bravery and discovering friendship in the most unexpected of places, perfect for adventurers and the more timid alike.

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Reviews

Remember Lemoney Snicket and his Series of Unfortunate Events? The Wilderness has the same sort of tone and approach, as an unseen narrator tells the story and explains key vocabulary relating to the rather splendid Vasylenko family.

Mum and Dad and 11 of their 12 children love going on adventures and exploring new places. The twelfth child, Oktober, is entirely different. he likes to stay inside the safe, warm, clean house and read books. He eventually confesses that he is frightened of a monster called the Wilderness. He is shouted down by his family who insist this monster is not real and persuade Oktober to come out with them. Of course Oktober gets lost, falls off a cliff and is saved by THE WILDERNESS, who turns out to be as scared of Oktober, as he is of the Wilderness until Oktober starts to see the wilderness from a different perspective.

This is a lovely book; gorgeous illustrations and a witty text. It's clearly written by someone who loves the wilderness and spends a lot of time there. If you have a young explorer who yearns to adventure far and wide then this is the book to gift them. If you have a homebody reader who dislikes getting muddy then this might just be the book to tempt them outdoors.

In the classroom, there is much in this book that can be translated into a unit of work. Obviously it lends itself to some Geography work and you might start with critiquing how the Vasylenko family carry out their expeditions. Are they well prepared? Do they have the correct equipment? What would we need to take if we went exploring? Can we explore our local 'wilderness' but make some maps so we don't get lost?

Then there is Science and classification of specimens work. The end papers of the book show a number of curious things the Vasylenko family discover, such as The Whistling Thistle (which only knows two songs). Children could invent their own specimens or collect information about what they find in the playground or the park.

The main areas this book will support is PSHCE, however. Discussion can take place around feeling different from other people because you don't share their interests, about fear of the dark, fear of getting lost, fear of getting hurt or just fear of getting dirty, which can be a huge issue for neuro-diverse children. The character that is plagued with all these fears is Oktober - many children will relate to him and could write him letters or a self-help guide to help him come to terms with it all and be a bit braver. There is so much in this book that it would easily last a whole half term of study.

Picture book / Reviewed by Wendy Kelly, teacher