Wild

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When you are finished, as yourself, is it easier to be the leader or follower? Were you able to be so like them that no one could tell you were pretending? One day, man enters the forest and takes the girl away, believing it isn’t right for a human to be alone – for a human to be living harmoniously amongst the trees, hills and animals – for a human to be ‘wild’. The little girl had friends around her in the forest who helped her be herself. Who are your friends that help you be yourself? Make something that shows how your friends help you. In Emily Hughes’ beautiful picture book we meet a little girl who has known nothing but nature from birth – she was taught to talk by birds, to eat by bears and to play by foxes – she is unashamedly, irrefutably, irrepressibly wild.

The primary age range varies from one education system to another, with some children beginning at age five in some countries and at age seven in others, and some children finishing at age 10/11 in some countries and at age 13/14 in others. The average age is 6–11 years. Emily Hughes is an author and illustrator who grew up in Hawaii, and now lives and works in the United Kingdom. Her artwork has been widely exhibited and her picturebooks have received international recognition. In 2015, Emily was chosen to represent the UK in the prestigious Biennial of Illustration Bratislava (BIB). The main character's face is very, very expressive. The art in this book is just beautiful...so detailed and wonderful! It's about a little girl somehow abandoned in the forest, who is taken in by the forest creatures and lives a happy, feral life. Until one day she's discovered by some hipster hunters (or, I guess, they caught her in their bear trap? Only her hair was caught but that's pretty harsh, hipsters. Is using a bear trap really sporting? They take her to live with Famed Psychiatrist and his wife (presumably I'm supposed to assume the man is Famed Psychiatrist because he's the one measuring her head and taking notes while the lady just brushes the kid's hair and tries to cut her meat...but technically the lady could be Famed Psychiatrist while her significant other is her assistant. But I don't think I'm supposed to think that) and they just get mad at her for not learning even though it doesn't look like she's been there very long and so when she runs away they're just like "good riddance" which will be hard to explain to the papers but whatever. Famed Psychiatrist's dog and cat escape with our friend as well and live happy lives in harmony with the animals of the forest because this is a magical forest where predator and prey hang out and don't kill each other. I don't know what the bears and foxes eat but that's not the point of this story - the point is, you do you. I really like the magic in this book actually, because I would love to imagine that there are forests that exist where all the animals love each other and never die and people can have plants for hair. Probably somewhere in Europe. Learn how to draw some of Emily Hughes cutest wild animals with her step by step activity sheets! Work your way up from a crow and then you’ll be going pro with the fox in no time✨ In this beautiful picture book by Hawaiian artist Emily Hughes, we meet a little girl who has known nothing but nature from birth--she was taught to talk by birds, to eat by bears, and to play by foxes. She is unashamedly, irrefutably, irrepressibly wild. That is, until she is snared by some very strange animals that look oddly like her, but they don't talk right, eat right, or play correctly.

Wild read by Emily Hughes

All good things are wild and free,” Thoreau wrote in his terrific treatise on walking. More than 150 years later, Hawaiian-born, British-based illustrator Emily Hughes makes an imaginative 21st-century case for this in Wild ( public library | IndieBound) — an irreverent, charming, and oh-so-delightfully illustrated story, partway between Kipling’s The Jungle Book and Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are. Emily Hughes is an incredibly talented illustrator. The artwork in this book is bold, unique and truly, truly stunning. It is such innovative work and I cannot help but be mesmerized by it. On top of that, this story is so beautiful! My husband and our little family are such fans of nature and the outdoors and the story of this girl and her wild ways is both exciting and heartwarming. The outdoor scenes were more natural for me to do; lots of greens and browns (brown being my favourite colour; maybe it’s obvious throughout my work).

Find a way to express all these happy things! You could make a big display with words, drawing and attach other 'best' things. Maybe you could make up a song or dance. Why not talk to the people around you and find out their best bits and tell them yours. It might end up being the best part of your day! This week's theme is being PROUD so look at the activities attached to the other stories for more PROUD activities! Initially, I wanted to do ‘Wild’ in a Victorian setting because it was so repressive and I thought the contrast would be more defined. Talking about it with the art director, Alex, we decided it might be nicer to make it feel more mid-century to be less predictable. I think it was a solid choice.

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The problem with copying is that you might not have to think as hard about what you are doing, but you will never be as good as the person. They are always going to be better at being themselves and you are always going to be the best at being you. Emily:‘Wild’ is a story about a feral girl. Or it’s about people who have a hard time fitting into societal expectations. Off in the big city, a somewhat well-meaning but rather dictatorial elderly couple sets out to de-wild her. “FAMED PSYCHIATRIST TAKES IN FERAL CHILD,” a newspaper headline proclaims. In this post, Emily talks about the creation of ‘Wild’. This boldly illustrated, beautifully produced picturebook was one of the first releases from Flying Eye Books in the UK. It’s since been published in many other languages including Spanish, French and Italian.