Book Trailer Premiere: Wolf in the Snow by Matthew Cordell
Hi, Matthew! Welcome back to Watch. Connect. Read. It is
always a good day when you visit. Thank you for dropping by to share the book
trailer for Wolf in the Snow and to
finish my sentences.
Matthew Cordell: Thanks so much for
having me, John! A lot has happened for you since you helped launch the trailer
for Wish. It’s been a joy to watch. It’s an honor and pleasure to come back and
do this again with you.
Thank you, Matthew! A lot has happened for you as well. Thanks for all you do to make this world a better and brighter place.
The book trailer for Wolf in the Snow gets to, I think, much of what the heart of the book is about
for me. What do we do when confronted with a difficult choice? When there is
fear and suffering, do we think of ourselves, acting in our own best interests?
Or do we go beyond that and think of those around us? And who are the ones around
us? Are they good? Bad? Are we good? Bad? As we are confronted with so many
stereotypes and prejudices—about ourselves and others—we should all always be
challenging ourselves with these questions and answers. Now more than ever.
Adults and children alike.
Wolf in the Snow’s
cover shows the book’s two heroes. A girl and a wolf pup. The girl in this
story is a very brave soul. The pup is brave to trust her. What happens when
the girl reunites the pup with its pack takes incredible courage. And what
happens after that takes incredible trust on behalf of everyone. To me, a wolf
is a powerfully brave and loving creature. Loyal to family. And fiercely
protective. I kept asking myself… is the “wolf” in this book just the wolf? Or
is it the girl too?
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Illustration Credit: Matthew Cordell |
I created the illustrations in my favorite blend of pen
and ink drawing with watercolor painting. But the art in this book is slightly
different from some of my others. The girl and surrounding nature are drawn
very loosely and minimally—as I tend to do. But the wolves are drawn more
realistically and more detailed than I typically draw. For one, to suggest the
distinct difference between wolf and human. How we might think and react and
how they might. I hope the art will also put the reader in a very real place as
they see the wolves drawn in this way. It takes a lot of courage for the girl
to do what she does in the book—to bring a lost wolf pup back to its pack.
Before she, also lost, finds her own way home. It was essential to depict the
wolves more realistically to draw out these feelings of fear and, ultimately,
reassurance that play out in the book.
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Illustration Credit: Matthew Cordell |
I hope Wolf in the
Snow leads children and adults to want to learn more about wolves. I knew
next to nothing about wolves when I first embarked upon the journey of making this
book. As I tried (and failed many times) to find the story in this book, I
found another entirely true story about wolves. They have been demonized
throughout literature. (Three Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood, etc.) Which
has led to the unfair treatment and relentless killing of these noble creatures.
In fact, they are highly complex, intelligent animals. They want much of the
same things that we want. Safety. Family. Companionship. Joy. Life. They are
wild animals, but they are not bloodthirsty and vicious. They hunt animals—not
humans—purely for survival. And wolves have come to fear humans, just as we
have come to fear them.
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Illustration Credit: Matthew Cordell |
Wordless picture books are deceptively difficult. They
are difficult to make and they are difficult to read. Because there are no
words, the visual language needs to be clearer than ever. Because there are no
words, they can be read in a multitude of ways. This can be a wonderful thing.
Or—if confusing—this could be the worst thing. When a wordless picture book
works, it is brilliant. I won’t try and shoot for brilliance, but I’ll just
hope that my book works.
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Publication Date: August 15, 2017 |
Mr. Schu, you should have asked me about the music in this
book trailer. It’s a song by one of my all-time favorite bands, Archers of
Loaf! They’ve been in heavy listening rotation for me starting in my college
years and up to now. These guys were incredibly gracious to allow me to use
this beautiful little waltz for this book trailer. (They are normally a rock
band, but this song closes out their 1996 album, All the Nations Airports.) I
think it fits the book so perfectly.
Look for Wolf in the Snow on January 3, 2017.
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