The Five Wolves

Caldecott Honoree McCarty makes his graphic novel debut with an otherworldly feeling poem in comics form. Intricate crosshatching depicts five anthropomorphic wolves dressed in finery and sailing aboard a Viking-esque longboat. The pack, helmed by Don Pedro Lupine, are artists on an epic journey, one that begins in earnest when the comrades—having spotted a giant shark swimming toward them—break out their easels (“See the fish? Draw the fish!”). Following an extended encounter with the shark, who seems unfamiliar with the concept of art, the wolves’ voyage brings them headlong into confrontation with their artistic nemeses, a clowder of cats led by Don Rodrigo Calico. Scenes devoid of text are accompanied by solo pages bursting with hand-lettered, blue- and red-hued words; the poem’s main verses are rendered in bold lines surrounded by a dizzying sea of language that reflects characters’ thoughts as well as extraneous jokes and commentary. Increasingly dreamlike sequences culminate in a compelling examination of life, art, and the fantastical oddities inherent in both. Human character skin tones match the hue of the page. Ages 9–14. (Oct.)