Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
So, this started on a raw, magical note – it felt like a cutesy, raw little comic-book journal about a girl and a few days in her life. But her day takes an increasingly bizarre turn, after falling from a terrifying height, she picks up a strange flower from a creepy black bush, and that flower transforms into a mysterious cat-like creature. Interestingly, the most intriguing thing about this little creature isn’t its magical birth or even its rose-shaped tail, but the fact that it’s missing a limb, just like the little girl. So, the two quickly become friends.
Illustrated by Natalie Warner, Rose Wolves is a picture book with no dialogue, created by the artist for children who struggle with reading. However, I’m not entirely sure younger readers will fully grasp the themes of friendship and kinship woven into the story. Funnily enough, I didn’t even notice that the protagonist was missing an arm until page 32, which was 37% of the way through the book. Honestly, that’s a good thing… a missing limb shouldn’t define anyone, and it certainly doesn’t define the little girl in this story. That said, we don’t learn much about her beyond the fact that she seems to live with an adult who is barely around.
At less than 100 pages, Rose Wolves left me wishing for dialogues or thought bubbles to add depth to the narrative as the story progressed. The artwork, though simple and doodle-like, didn’t feel engaging enough to hook readers who prefer more detailed visuals. Overall, this is an intriguing seed of an idea, but it needs more watering and greater finesse in storytelling. If I had to gift a book to a kid, this really wouldn’t be on my mind.
Rating: 2.5 on 5. “Rose Wolves” is on Kindle Unlimited.
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