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173rd out of 370 books
—
193 voters
Woolvs in the Sitee
In a mostly abandoned city, Ben lives in a musty basement room, terrified of the "woolvs" that dwell in the shadows outside, with only an upstairs neighbor, Mrs. Radinski, to help him cope with his fears.
Hardcover, 40 pages
Published
September 10th 2007
by Front Street
(first published 2006)
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when i was volunteering at the library, i was about to shelve this book, but something about the cover intrigued me, and made me flip through it idly. and that's when i came across a familiar face!! the rest of the book looked pretty cool, so i ordered it into my store and bought myself a copy, and now i can hang out with miriam anytime i want!! i may have missed out on the goodreads.com san francisco gathering, but nothing can stop me from having my own, sad imaginary party here at home:
THIS IS...more
THIS IS...more
The talented team of Margaret Wild and Anne Spudvilas has produced a remarkable picture book that beautifully balances those ubiquitous reviewers’ words, “compelling” and “challenging.” Woolvs in the Sitee, 2007 winner of the Aurealis Award and a CBC Honour Book, is so original and unusual that the publishers have posted a special teaching guide on the book’s website page. But don’t be deterred by classification-slipping noises; Woolvs offers rich rewards for the visually and metaphorically lite...more
2 likes · like · see review
The illustrations are raw and interesting; the cover is striking. The spelling is a challenge: on one hand, I appreciated the way it portrayed the world the boy lived in; yet, on the other hand, I can't stand intentional misspelling like that. Overall, a cool read. But I don't think it'll appeal to its target audience. It's in picture book format, but the subject matter makes it apppropriate for 6th grade and up. But I don't know how many teens will be drawn to the book, given the format that is...more
As I was browsing the Teen Graphic Novel section (the only place graphic novels aren’t dispersed into the stacks) Margaret Wild & Anne Spudvilas’ picture book caught my eye. Woolvs in the Sittee‘s cover is intriguingly creepy; and my mind went immediately to Dave McKean. The jacket copy drew me in deeper, though afterward I found it forgivably misleading for the most part.
What is actually going on in Woolvs in the Sitee is not transparent. In a way, the paranoia of the protagonist Ben could...more
What is actually going on in Woolvs in the Sitee is not transparent. In a way, the paranoia of the protagonist Ben could...more
Woolvs in the Sitee was a very unusual book. I thought that after the first few pages the book might explain itself but it never did so I was confused through out it. Ben is the main character in the book and he is terrified of the "woolvs" but the author never tells you what the "woolvs" are. The author not telling the reader what the "woolvs" are kind of intrigued me because you can use your imagination and make out the "woolvs" to be anything that you want them to be.
I really disliked that e...more
I really disliked that e...more
Woolvs in the Sitee by Margaret Wild and Anne Spudvilas was an unusual book that challenged my thoughts. The book is about a boy named Ben who has a fear of the “woolvs”. It is not clear what the “woolvs” are representing, but it is apparent that Ben has a big fear. Ben ventures outside of his building one day to find the blue sky but gets haunted by the “woolvs”. His neighbor Missus Radinski rescues him and brings him back inside. Missus Radinski does not believe in the “woolvs” and soon it is...more
Well, this book is quite a different one, let’s start with that. It’s a picture book, but not like your average No, David or Bark, George. No no no. This is one for a mature audience, around 12 or older, and it is dark. Very dark.
The book centers on Ben, a young boy all alone in a bleak and terrifying world. He spends his days and nights hiding in a basement only looking out at what’s left of his former city. His only companion is his neighbor, Mrs. Radinski, who takes as good of care of him as...more
The book centers on Ben, a young boy all alone in a bleak and terrifying world. He spends his days and nights hiding in a basement only looking out at what’s left of his former city. His only companion is his neighbor, Mrs. Radinski, who takes as good of care of him as...more
I am going to have to re-read this. Until I read other reviews, I thought the book was "Wolves in the Settee" So I thought the boy writing it was schizophrenic and thought wolves were living in his furniture. It's a totally different story when you think the whole thing is taking place in the dark and twisted imagination of a mentally disturbed person.
I'm so embarassed. I had no idea that Sitee was "City" and now it makes MUCH more sense.
I'm so embarassed. I had no idea that Sitee was "City" and now it makes MUCH more sense.
3 likes · like · see review
Written by one of Australia's leading picture book writers, Margaret Wild, Woolvs in the Sitee is a dystopian picture book about a boy named Ben who shares his story of living in a dark, frightening world where his only help comes from a neighbor, Mrs. Radinski. The book is written from Ben's point of view, with words written out phonetically, and he shares his immense fear of wolves and his dream of seeing a real blue summer sky. The text is formatted in a frantic manner, and the pictures are a...more
1 like · like · see review
Wow - It's frightening, disturbing, dark, and amazing! A dystopian look at a post-apocalyptic world, this amazing picture book from this Australian author and illustrator evokes the desperation and fear of Ben, the narrator of the text.
From the first page of text:
There are woolvs in the sitee. Oh, yes!
In the streets. In the parks. In the allees.
In shops. in rustee playgrounds.
in howses rite next dor.
And they will kum.
they will kum for me and for yoo
and for yor bruthers and sisters,
yor mu...more
From the first page of text:
There are woolvs in the sitee. Oh, yes!
In the streets. In the parks. In the allees.
In shops. in rustee playgrounds.
in howses rite next dor.
And they will kum.
they will kum for me and for yoo
and for yor bruthers and sisters,
yor mu...more
Jun 22, 2011
Lisa Vegan
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommended to Lisa by:
Abigail A. & Miriam & Krista...
This is one of the weirdest books I’ve ever read. It’s children’s (children’s?!) picture book. It seems to be a horror book. I think it’s about external horrors, but I kept thinking of agoraphobia and other mental illnesses, and of growing up in a less than ideal situation, and not knowing what was going on is part of its technique, I think.
Anyway, it was chilling. It would have terrified me had I read this while a child or teen, especially the years when I was living alone, especially the relat...more
Anyway, it was chilling. It would have terrified me had I read this while a child or teen, especially the years when I was living alone, especially the relat...more
6 likes · like · see review
This came in as a children's book - older kids picture book - almost abstract expressionist in style. It has its place in the library and on bookshelves but I'm not sure where. Set in a possibly post-apocalypic world, this is a child's view of living in fear with almost no human contact. There are many questions left unanswered, which is OK, but as to who should read it? I don't know. Maybe give this to lovers of Neil Gaiman and dark graphic novels although it's definitely short. Sci-fi? Worth r...more
This is a singular book. In the library, it is located with the children's illustrated books, but I am not sure that it belongs there. I think that this would be a very difficult book for the children usually targeted by picture books. For one thing, many of the words are spelled phonetically, which would be confusing for someone still learning to read. Also, the story has a post-apocalyptic setting, and the artwork is moody and eerie. It's sort of scary, and it never answers any of the question...more
This was painful. It has many layers but you have to read it more than once to get it and I an't handle that. It's told by a boy who obviously is young or hasn't been to school in quite a while. It gives quite a bit of backstory and possibly shows a woolf in one of the pictures. It doesn't explain what they are or why they are there. Just that they are hateful and made everything dark and scary.
There is no resolution. It ends with his going to look for the missing person but it involves the read...more
There is no resolution. It ends with his going to look for the missing person but it involves the read...more
Genre: Science Fiction?: Post Apocalyptic
It is hard to describe this book, because it could be about so many things: the Holocaust, war, anarchy, mental illness. It is a dark story about a boy who is hiding alone in a building from something sinister that he calls "woolvs." He befriends an old woman in his building who does not believe in the woolvs, but helps the boy get food and water. One day she disappears. Assisted by the dark pictures with splashes of red and showing a city landscape that...more
It is hard to describe this book, because it could be about so many things: the Holocaust, war, anarchy, mental illness. It is a dark story about a boy who is hiding alone in a building from something sinister that he calls "woolvs." He befriends an old woman in his building who does not believe in the woolvs, but helps the boy get food and water. One day she disappears. Assisted by the dark pictures with splashes of red and showing a city landscape that...more
Dystopias come in all forms, even picture books. But Woolvs in the Sitee is not for little children. Told by a lonely, scared boy, this dark story features text scrawled in graffiti-like writing across the page, with words misspelled and misshapen to heighten the sense of atmospheric ruin conveyed by the bleakly elegant illustrations. Ben, a young boy who has lost his family and spends his days hiding in a dank basement, tells readers that there are “woolvs in the sitee,” but these are not fores...more
Ben, the protagonist of this post-apocalyptic picture book, hides from the shadowy wolves in a basement room, burning furniture for warmth and begging the old lady upstairs for water.
There is some suggestion, based on Missus Radinski's claims that there are no wolves and Ben should go back to school or get a hobby, that perhaps the little boy is suffering from some mental illness rather than the collapse of civilization. On the other hand, she doesn't seem to see a problem in him living alone i...more
There is some suggestion, based on Missus Radinski's claims that there are no wolves and Ben should go back to school or get a hobby, that perhaps the little boy is suffering from some mental illness rather than the collapse of civilization. On the other hand, she doesn't seem to see a problem in him living alone i...more
12 likes · like · see review
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This dark, sinister story is accompanied by harsh, dark illustrations. A boy seems to be living in a post-apocalyptic world that is unsafe and therefore he must hide alone in his basement. There are many unanswered questions raised in the mind of the reader. What happened that caused the boy to live alone in a basement? Where is his family? Are the
When you first pick this up you are mislead that it is a children's book but that may be deceiving. It is a dark story which you are still wondering at the end, what is real and what isn't. Much darker than I would want to read to a child so I wonder what the age range on the book actually is for this. The illustrations are also very dark. But it was a good book. Just not sure what age I would recommend it for.
I picked this book up at a children's book review that my school holds twice a year. I started reading and was wondering why I lost my inability to understand the words. Had I developed dyslexia in the past five minutes? Nope. As you may have noticed the book is titles "Woolvs in the Sitee" which with correct spelling is Wolves in the City. Once i realized that I did know how to read and that the words were written as if by the main character; I really enjoyed this book. The illustrations are ve...more
Gorgeous illustrations do not a good book make. Too bad, I loved the title and poetic misspellings in the narrative of "Woolvs in the Sitee." Unfortunately, the story goes nowhere and there is no character development. This book is hovering between horror, apocalypse, suspense, picture book, and graphic novel. I'm not sure which it is or which it wants to be. Still, I have to hand it to Front Street books, they always have something interesting going on.
I'm not sure what prompted me to find and read this but I'm so glad I did. It is a most unusual book and I'm not sure I'd recommend it for kids at all. However, it is a most interesting book for teachers if only to think about decoding and how we can read and make sense of this. The illustrations are amazing and I can see why it won the awards it did.
Unsettling. Grim. Much more appropriate for teenagers or adults, than young children. A young boy Ben is alone, burning his furniture to keep warm, with little food and no water. The skies are no longer blue, and the future is no longer certain. The setting isn't clear. Holocaust Germany? A postapocolyptic setting like Cormac McCarthy's The Road?
Woolvs in the Sitee is an amazing book that captures your interest at once. A picture book aimed at older children, the concept is hard to grasp along with the clever use of misspelled words to show a piece of innocence. A great story about a dystopian future, with amazing illustrations, what more could you ask for?
This is such an intriguing picture book, definitely for older students. I’m not sure if it’s in the future, or if it’s a metaphor for children at risk in their own environments. It’s a book to be read aloud and discussed, about helping each other and about facing fears in order to make life better.
Feb 04, 2013
Meredith Cameron
marked it as to-read
A dark story that includes an underlying sense of paranoia. Some say this story is meant to give voice to mental health and how members of our society are excluded and silenced, lacking support and proper care. A great text to initiate discussions surrounding the reader's perspective of whose voice is being represented.
Copyright: 2007
Genre: Science Fiction
Definitely on of the most unusual book I have read. The whole book is written using phonetic spelling, which has to be intriguing for most kids. It was for me. I found myself asking the question, "What is this about?" I am still wondering...
Genre: Science Fiction
Definitely on of the most unusual book I have read. The whole book is written using phonetic spelling, which has to be intriguing for most kids. It was for me. I found myself asking the question, "What is this about?" I am still wondering...
This was a rather different book. I enjoyed the inventive spelling aspect. Made it kind of fun to read. The story was very ambiguous. Even after I finished I wasn't sure what happened. Could promote some interesting discussion with students.
CO: 2006
Genre: Concept
CO: 2006
Genre: Concept
This story is about a kid living alone in a dystopian world that is overrun by monsterish wolves. It was interesting enough, but the misspelling throughout the book was aggressive. It was difficult to read, and didn't seem so necessary.
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Australian children's book author.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret...
More about Margaret Wild...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret...
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“There are woolvs in the sitee. Oh, yes!
In the streets. In the parks. In the allees.
In shops. in rustee playgrounds.
in howses rite next dor.
And they will kum.
they will kum for me and for yoo
and for yor bruthers and sisters,
yor muthers and fathers. yor arnts and unkils.
yor grandfathers and grandmuthers.
No won is spared.”
—
3 people liked it
More quotes…
In the streets. In the parks. In the allees.
In shops. in rustee playgrounds.
in howses rite next dor.
And they will kum.
they will kum for me and for yoo
and for yor bruthers and sisters,
yor muthers and fathers. yor arnts and unkils.
yor grandfathers and grandmuthers.
No won is spared.”
Jul 10, 2011 06:26am
Jul 28, 2011 02:01pm