Bog Myrtle

Sharp (The Wolf Suit) utilizes vibrantly colored folk art against dark backgrounds to introduce fair-skinned sisters Beatrice and Magnolia. While Beatrice, who wears a bright red dress, enjoyed “observing the local wildlife,” bespectacled Magnolia liked “pulling the legs off of spiders.” Despite being “so poor that they ate rats for breakfast,” Beatrice endeavors to buy wool to knit a sweater for Magnolia. When the fabric store owner fails to see the value of Beatrice’s currency—a stone, a twig, and a cicada shell—Beatrice returns them to the woods, where she meets the fearsome spider witch Bog Myrtle. Initially intending to turn Beatrice into a fly, Bog Myrtle is instead charmed by her appreciation of the forest; she spins material that Beatrice then knits into a sweater, which is seemingly impervious to wear and tear. Seeing the garment’s value, Magnolia sets Beatrice and the household spiders to knit night and day. Though this droll graphic novel fairy tale becomes a nightmare for one sibling, it’s a lighthearted and surreal take on evergreen themes surrounding the benefits of kindness that’s more Brothers Grimm than classic Disney. Ages 6–11. (Oct.)