Wolf Children: Ame & Yuki($14.38Value)

Description

When Hana worked up the courage to speak to the mysterious loner in her college class, she never expected the encounter would blossom into true lovenor that he was secretly a wolf living in human form. Their relationship was far from ordinary, but she wouldn’t have had it any other way. Her joy only grows with the births of Ame and Yuki, who have inherited their father’s unique ability to transform. But life is full of both joy and hardship, and Hana is left to bring up her little wolves on her own. Raising human children is hard enough…but how will she handle their wild side, too?In this novelization of his award-winning Wolf Children film, acclaimed director Mamoru Hosoda provides a deeper look at the emotional trials and triumphs of a very unique little family. When college student Hana begins to notice a handsome, older guy in one of her classes, she’s drawn to him. He’s a loner, and as they grow closer, he reveals that he is actually half wolf, the last of a line of legendary Japanese wolves long thought to be extinct. After they become lovers, Hana has a daughter named Yuki and a son named Ame—both part wolf like their father. Hana, Yuki, and Ame must all learn to live in secret with Yuki and Ame’s wolfish nature. Will any of them ever find peace to be who they really are? How do they balance having more than one identity? This beautifully drawn manga, based on Hosoda’s 2012 film Wolf Children, does a lovely job of capturing the joy and heartache of the film and is a thoughtful exploration of what it means to be from multiple cultures. Hand this to fans of cute but melancholy manga series, such as Natsuki Takaya’s Fruits Basket (2004) or Summer Wars (2013), also adapted from a Hosoda film. Grades 9-12. --Candice Mack Mamoru Hosoda is an internationally acclaimed animator and director who has previously helmed such award-winning movies as The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Summer Wars, Wolf Children, and The Boy and the Beast.