Wolfgang in the Meadow

by Lenny Wen, Lenny Wen (Illustrator)

Overview

A little ghost with big dreams learns to define success on his own terms in a spookily satisfying story for our times from Lenny Wen. 

Everything in the meadow, from hugging the trees to stargazing with friends, fills Wolfgang with joy.

His ambition, though, is to become the great spirit of the Dark Castle. So Wolfgang strives to perfect his spooking skills, practicing day and night. When Wolfgang wins the honor of haunting the shadowy halls, he is very good at it…but if being a great spirit means leaving his beloved meadow behind, is it good for him? 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063288942
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	07/16/2024
Pages:	48
Product dimensions:	8.25(w) x 11.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Lenny Wen is the illustrator of several picture books, including her own Wolfgang in the Meadow and Spicy Spicy Hot! Lenny was born and raised in Indonesia and currently lives in the Austrian countryside, surrounded by nature and a castle. You can visit her at lennywen.com. 

Lenny Wen is the illustrator of several picture books, including her own Wolfgang in the Meadow and Spicy Spicy Hot! Lenny was born and raised in Indonesia and currently lives in the Austrian countryside, surrounded by nature and a castle. You can visit her at lennywen.com. 

Editorial Reviews

06/17/2024

An ambitious ghost learns a necessary lesson about balance in Wen’s fully imagined story. Wolfgang, who enjoys traditional ghostly exploits as well as time spent in nature, aspires to take over haunting the Dark Castle from his hero. When an opportunity to compete for the role of successor arises, the protagonist stops his meadow meandering and puts “all his spirit into his goal. He didn’t have time for non-spooky things.” His hard work pays off, and his walls are soon covered with flattering newspaper clippings and awards. But over time, Wolfgang feels something is “missing” and begins to lose his powers, until a chance encounter reconnects him with prior passions that are allowed to bloom once more. Working in graphite, gouache, and colored pencil strokes, Wen gives the spreads a smudgy but delicate quality that helps paint a gentle portrait of Wolfgang’s all-too-human need to achieve work/afterlife balance. Ages 4–8. (July)

Publishers Weekly

"A whimsical story about carving one’s own path and staying true to oneself." — Kirkus Reviews

“Encourages viewers to embrace everything that fulfills them [and is] an excellent pick for any kid who finds equal joy in the cute and the creepy.”

— Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“Working in graphite, gouache, and colored pencil strokes, Wen gives the spreads a smudgy but delicate quality that helps paint a gentle portrait of Wolfgang’s all-too-human need to achieve work/afterlife balance.”  — Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

2024-04-05
An adorable ghost who loves romping in nature andscaring people finds a way to embrace both sides of his personality.

Wolfgang lives in a meadow alongside a group of fellow supernatural beings. He spends his time practicing spooky skills such as casting spells and making things fly, hoping to one day succeed his hero, the Mighty Hubert, as haunter of the Dark Castle. But when he achieves his dream, he realizes he misses his cloud-gazing, wildflower-picking days. Can Wolfgang balance the spooky with the sweet? The vibrant digital images, which incorporate graphite, colored pencils, gouache, and acrylic gouache, rely on a warm, bright palette to depict meadow scenes and grayscale and shadowy neutrals to depict the Dark Castle. Readers will delight in poring over the whimsical creatures: Wolfgang has expressive eyes and rosy cheeks under his ghostly sheet, while the other supernatural beings include a red, white-eyed creature with snakes for hair, a bearded cat with a pink unicorn horn, and a mummy with a pirate’s eyepatch and bandana. Fans of Jessie Sima’s Not Quite Narwhal (2017), which also centers on a mythological being who’s learning to blend various aspects of life, will delight in Wolfgang.

A whimsical story about carving one’s own path and staying true to oneself. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews