This was definitely a strange book, but I liked the message of being yourself no matter what. It very much gave me Edward Gorey vibes with the dark ideas of fear and death.

A charming and quirky short graphic novel about a sheep who is afraid of wolves. In order to avoid them, the sheep decides to disguise himself with a wolf suit. However, there is a twist to the story and he finds perhaps wolves are not in sheep's clothing, but vice versa. This was funny and cute and I laughed out loud the whole time.

Note: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not compensated in any other fashion for the review and the opinions reflected below are entirely my own. Special thanks to the publisher and author for providing the copy.

When it's time to venture outdoors to pick blackberries, Bellwether Riggwelter is a nervous wreck. There could be wolves about, and Bellwether's in no hurry to become anyone's lunch. One day he puts his sewing skills to the test to create a suit that will let him walk undetected among his enemies.
Voila! He's a sheep in wolf's clothing!

This is a delightful mix of picture book and graphic novel. There's a terrific surprise ending that should entertain readers of all ages, and the added bonus of the author's drool-worthy artwork. It's a howling-good time for even the most sheepish.

The Wolf Suit by Sid Sharp is such an interesting book that opens a conversation about fear and protecting oneself. Our main character has made a wolf suit for themselves so that they can freely gather food for themselves and finds herself invited to hang out with them, but her outfit keeps catching on everything around her and she's terrified of being exposed as a "food". Overall I think the book speaks on protecting oneself from harm and how sometimes things are not what they seem to be and possibly taking chances can open doors to new opportunities that can better your life.

Story: 3/5
Characters: 3/5
Worldbuilding/Illustrations: 4/5
Thank you to Netgalley, Sid Sharp and Annick Press for sending me a digital ARC in exchange for a honest review.

This is an interesting and powerful tale about masking told in graphic novel form. It would be a great read for middle grades, especially for reluctant or intimidated readers. The language is mostly simple and straightforward and there are no big, scary walls of text that can shut some readers down. The story has a great message, too, about owning who you are and finding community to deal with fears and uncertainties. This would be a great addition to school and classroom libraries!

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

I liked the storyline. It made me laugh out loud at parts! The illustrations are bold and visually pleasing. I think it will be a big hit with the age it is intended for. However, the final page doesn't feel like it should be the final page to me. I love the rest of it!

I received an electronic ARC from Annick Press Ltd through NetGalley.
Bellwether was scared to enter the woods due to the wolves. This little sheep decided to be creative and find a way to venture out to get his favorite foods. The wolf suit he creates gives him confidence and he meets all sorts of animals including other wolves. An amusing ending when the wolves are revealed for who they are. The illustrations are an interesting style, but for me they don't quite work to complete the story. This falls in middle grade style but not sure the content level is high enough.

Miigweetch NetGalley and Annick Press for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

"The Wolf Suit" is an illustrated story about a sheep in wolf’s clothing. The foreword is one of the best parts of this book, and plants the seed for viewing this tale through an allegorical lens. The protagonist is Bellwether Riggwelter, who lives a comfortable life in his cottage alone in the woods. The only time he has a problem is when he runs out of blackberries, because then he must venture out into the forest and risk running into the wolves.

The illustrations were cute with a distinctive style, however, I didn’t think that the main character actually looked like a sheep throughout the majority of the book, only when we see the close-ups of his curly wool. However, I deeply enjoyed the detailed backgrounds - these woods have eyes!

I recommend this book to readers looking for a quick, quirky comic or graphic novel that isn’t about superheroes. The lesson about why someone might disguise who they are in public - indeed, why they might be compelled to do so for physical safety - could make for heavy reading materially but was handled quite skiffully here. I especially liked the ending [no spoilers].

I loved this book! Full of fun illustrations and a wonderful morale, The Wolf Suit by Sid Sharp is one of my favorite stories I have had the opportunity to read and review this summer.

This is a great story for younger readers, and is presented in chapter form. Bellwether Riggwelter is sheep who happily spends all of his time alone in his home, safely tucked away from the scarier animals of the forest, especially the wolves.. Most days he is perfectly content with his usual routine, but inevitably he occasionally runs out of food and has to go scavenging.

Bellwether comes up with an ingenious plan though! He will make a himself a wolf suit and then even if he runs into the wolves, he’ll be perfectly safe! But was he ever in danger at all?

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Annick Press LTD for the opportunity to read and review this title, releasing on October 4, 2022!

Finding your place and a safe community in which you can be yourself is at the top of the list of needs for people in many minority communities. When you feel different from what seems normal, the ability to “just be yourself” can seem overwhelming and even dangerous at times. Sid Sharp tackles the need to belong and to feel safe, in their first book, “The Wolf Suit.” As a junior graphic novel, “The Wolf Suit” is wonderfully illustrated and depicts the sentiments and realities of Bellwether, the sheep, who faces the impediments of fear when needing to leave the safety of home. Once out in the world, Bellwether finds the need to construct a new persona, of a wolf among wolves, in order to pass and manage without the usual fears. Naturally, constructing a new persona is not easily done, nor maintained and Bellwether’s mettle will be tested before the story is finished. A story about the importance of self and of finding a supportive community, Sharp’s story is nonetheless fairly utopian, and I would highly suggest building on the ideas presented, focussing on what can be done when you feel you can’t relinquish the mask and on how to deal with the real ‘wolves’ while you find and build your community.

- Teacher Tips -

* A great story to recognise that everyone has fears and that feeling anxiety around situations is a normal response - discuss which situations might make your students or child feel unsafe

* Encouraging in supporting the idea of building a supportive and diverse community

* A good opportunity to discuss different perspectives and that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all fix for everyone. Many neurodivergent people face challenges in finding a community and having people understand and support their differences 


* Discuss ‘wolves’ as a metaphor and what we can do when faced with them - both individually and as a community

What a wonderfully nuanced and sensitive little graphic novel this is! Using the reverse of a "wolf in sheep’s clothing " story, Bellwether the nervous but determined sheep sets out in the world. What a sweet way to tackle tough topics like: of anxiety over the unknown, fear of not being accepted, masking your true nature as a self preservation/survival technique, conforming to fit in with a group and pushing your own needs aside, betraying your self worth for sake of others. The illustrations are so whimsical, soft, and mesmerizing with bold colors and lots of black or dark contrasting tones. The emotion on each character’s face is just lovely, and really they’re all so expressive it enhances the bold message of the story! I really found this to be so perfectly relatable regardless of age, from children to adults! Additionally, it’s going to be a helpful tool to caregivers and teachers and therapists alike to help neurodivergent youth feel more confident, and open the floor for discussion about empathy, interpersonal relationships, and sense of self. I love using the fable/fairytale angle to encourage readers to empathize through anthropomorphic characters. This is such a cozy and compelling read, and is an absolute must for any child or teen’s shelf. It’s a great exercise also for kids to create their own sheep and wolf’s costume in puppet form or 2D illustration, allowing them to engage in self exploration and the like in a safe way, and drive the point home from their reading! Love this as a read aloud book for families, too, as it gives plenty of room for talking points and emotional touchstones to explore between parent and child. I cannot recommend this enough! It might be a little scary for kids in preschool/.kindergarten to peruse alone, but it’s great for elementary and middle grade students to explore on their own. Parents will find a lot of opportunity for open ended discussion about building healthy sense of self and healthy friendships and finding a community that accepts you without having to hide who you really are! Would be wonderful for LGBTQ+ youth especially.

Thank you NetGalley for the E-ARC of this graphic novel.

It’s definitely something that I would recommend for younger readers who are getting into graphic novels. I loved the progression of the sheep’s plan and the author is really good at showing the fear of the forest. I thought the plan and the ending was very quirky and not at all where I thought it was going to go.

The Wolf Suit was definitely an unexpected read! I loved the message at the end of the book. The Wolf Suit is a great way to introduce young kids to chapter books without it being overwhelming. I thought Sid Sharp did an excellent job at developing the plot of the story and not dragging it on. There were twists and turns that captured your attention and made you want to keep reading.

The Wolf Suit is about a sheep, Bellwether, that runs out of blackberries and has to go out into the forest to get more. Bellwether realizes he is a little frightened of the forest because there are wolves and comes up with a plan to be less scared. He makes a a wolf suit so that he can blend in with other wolves if he encounters them, but he ends up meeting wolves instead. Once he meets the wolves, disaster strikes--his suit begins to unravel. Little does he know that the other wolves are not what they seem.

It's a great book to use to teach kids about how to be themselves and that with others they can face their fears.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. A super bizarre book about a wolf in a suit who keeps himself entertained. Maybe something is lost in translation????

A funny graphic novel that brings a whole new meaning to "a wolf in sheep's clothing". Totally worth getting to the ending.

Sid Sharp has written a humorous tale that covers several important themes. Conquering fear, feeling part of a community, and being comfortable with who you are.

Bellewether Riggwelter is out of blackberries, AGAIN! He's afraid to venture into the forest to pick more because he fears the wolves will eat him. He devises a plan to deter the wolves so he can pick his blackberries in peace. Like all plans with the best laid intentions, Bellewether's plan starts to unravel, literally! He discovers something he never expected in the forest, maybe, just maybe appearances can be deceiving.

The illustrations are beautiful in this book. This is a perfect book for transitional readers who want to venture into chapter books. The book offers lots of points for conversation. It's a must add to your classroom or home library shelf for children.

NetGalley and Annick Press allowed me to voluntarily read an advanced copy of this book. Pub date Oct. 4, 2022.

This was a weird book and I loved it. It definitely gave me Grimm vibes and I was all here for it! Fans of dark stories and fairytales will love reading this.

Clever book about the pressures of conformity. Fantastic illustrations as well! This book will certainly appeal to a range of ages.

This was an adorable and also hilarious take on the typical tale of phrase "A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing." As a parent, it can be difficult to find the words to teach a young child that they don't have to fear who they are, that while it may be scary and they may want to pretend to be someone else, they aren't alone. Everyone fears being their true self at one point or another, and the we can have a lot of perceptions about how the world is before we've stepped out of our comfort zone. But this was such a simple, lovely way of describing an issue everyone deals with at some point in their life. The writing was also humorous in how it mirror contemporary conversation and pacing. Very much recommended for young readers!

A dark children's book about fear and trying to fit in, with a touch of humor and warmth! I'd give this one to adults as well. I loved how the wolves looked in this book.