The Wild One (Sonya Hartnett, illus by Lucia Masciullo, Viking)

The Wild One is a beautifully illustrated, sensitively narrated journey of maturation and understanding. Through the eyes of a young boy named Charlie we meet ‘the wild one’, Charlie’s constant companion, guide and inner voice. As Charlie grows older, his ability to see and feel the wild one fades until gradually the demands of adult life inhibit his ability to connect with him at all. It is only once Charlie becomes a grandfather that he begins to feel the wild one stirring again. Lucia Masciullo’s evocative illustrations reinforce the feelings explored in Sonya Hartnett’s narrative, making the emotional content of the book all the more accessible. As is sometimes the case with Hartnett’s work, the challenge for booksellers and librarians will be to place this book in an appropriate category, as it is suitable for independent readers aged eight and up, but will also appeal to adults and families reading together. The Wild One celebrates the inimitable spirit of childhood and mourns its loss, leaving the reader with a sense of the circuitous nature of life.

Natalie Crawford is a children’s book specialist at Dymocks Claremont