The Wild Before is a prequel to The Last Wild trilogy, a set of stories S first discovered on Audible. She soon became hooked, and listened to them again and again before asking for the books to go with them. When we heard there was a prequel coming out, she was really excited.
The series explores the themes of environmental awareness, friendship and hope, building a world of folklore and adventure to captivate readers.
One frosty winter’s night, a pure white calf is born on an ordinary muddy fam by the light of a silver moon. This is the legendary Mooncalf, whose arrival has been foretold since the dawn of time. According to a dream passed down from animal to animal, if the calf dies, a great terribleness will come – rising seas, a plague, skies raining down fire, the end of all things… and Little Hare vows to persuade all the animals to protect Mooncalf, whatever the cost.
But it’s easier said than done, and soon Little Hare realises that he is the only one who can save the world…
S (age 9) was very excited to receive this book and wasted no time in beginning to read. She says:
It’s even better than I thought it would be. I really enjoyed reading it. I love the pictures around the text. If you’re an animal lover you will enjoy this story.
I got a little bit scared in some parts but it was ok in the end. Now I want to re-read the other 3 books again!
S gives this book a five-star rating; she’s really enjoyed it. Bedtimes lately have been to the tune of “I just need to finish off this page first…”
If I ask her a question about the book, she will go into minute detail about how the animals speak, where they go, what they do. She often shows me the “Field Guide to the Animal Tongue” and the map of Dandelion Hill Valley at the beginning of the book whilst attempting to explain parts of the story.
From my point of view, I love that this is a story that brings up ideas around climate change etc, without lecturing – to S it’s just a lovely, enjoyable story to read. She often became engrossed in the book, reading quietly in bed in the evenings – a sure sign of a great children’s book!
Thanks for reading. You can read my other book reviews here.
Disclosure: we received this item in exchange for a review but all words and opinions are our own.
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