WOOLF

When a wolf and sheep fall in love against the odds, their son must learn to navigate a world that is hostile to being both.

Woolf (“wool” plus “wolf”) has his mother’s pointy nose and bushy tail and his father’s fleecy body. He loves to “baa at the moon” and to stalk the best grass in the meadow. When it comes time to make friends, Woolf code-switches to adapt. He shaves his fleece to blend in with the wolves, but his vegetarian ways are not in sync with the wolves’ predatory natures. He curls and whitens his tail and smooths down his ears to fit in with the sheep but does not enjoy their aimless wandering. Defeated, Woolf turns away from both groups. Though Woolf finds a personally satisfying ending with new friends such as a bullfrog and a horsefly, whose names imply a similar mixed parentage, it is likely to be a disappointing end for many mixed-heritage children and their families looking for a story that might encourage a healthy integration of their diverse backgrounds. By rejecting the culture and identity of both sheep and wolves, Woolf rejects all the wonderful aspects that make him up as well.

Woolf yearns to celebrate diversity but instead paints a bleak picture