The Books
The Wild Boy
Paperback, 40 pages
Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) (2002-09-25)
See Used and New offers (From $1.55)
Amazon Description
"Nature and civilization collide in this thought-provoking picture book based on the story of a boy discovered living alone in the mountain forests of southern France in 1800 . . . Young readers will be fascinated, perhaps even spurred to further investigate the facts behind the story." --Starred, Publishers Weekly
"The illustrations, executed in textured paint strokes and rough, crosshatched lines, evoke the untamed freedom of a child who lives purely for himself. The page design heightens the emotional tension and moves the story forward." --Starred, School Library Journal
One Potato Review
Ambiguous but true. Victor, the wild child, was captured - or he was rescued - in the Aveyron district of Southern France in 1800, and his assimilation was an arduous, eventful, and not altogether successful experiment. This luminous account finally asks more questions than it answers (“I wonder what he sees…I wonder what he feels. I wonder….” thinks the doctor who is treating him), and it’s all the more surprising for its incomprehension, no matter how many times you have reached the final page. A great neglected history by the author and illustrator Mordecai Gerstein (The Man Who Walked Between the Towers) who is at his best elaborating - and sometimes debunking - such legends.
Related Blog Entries
- Sees the Day | Jan 15 2010
- Wild Thing | Jan 23 2011
Comments