A slight French import goes heavy on symbolism but light on story. A one-eyed wolf paces his cage day after day, ignoring everything outside of it, until he finds himself in a stare-off with a boy. In the way of magical realism, the two characters trade life stories, each by looking the other in the eye. Africa, the boy, sees Blue Wolf as he grows up in Alaska, living fairly idyllically with his brothers and sister until his capture and subsequent imprisonment in a series of zoos. Then Blue Wolf stares Africa in the eye, seeing the orphan grow up, first in Yellow Africa, then Gray Africa, then Green Africa, and finally the Other World, where they meet. Africa himself is a fey child, a storyteller who can make friends out of sworn enemies and whose mystical rapport with animals makes him a healer of sorts. It is his gaze that heals the wolf in the end, bringing together Alaska and all the Africas at once. While each character's individual story is developed fairly well and the tone effectively infuses the story with a touch of the fantastic, ultimately there seems to be little substance to the whole, beyond a general sense of environmental we-are-all-one-ness. This is mystery writer Pennac's (Passion Fruit, 2001, etc.) first book for children to be published in the US; while he shows a sure sense of mood and tone, the lack of actual narrative is likely to leave audiences wondering: what's the point? (Fiction. 10-13) (Kirkus Reviews)

Born worlds apart: a wolf from the Far North and a boy from Yellow Africa...The wolf has lost nearly everything on his journey to the zoo, including an eye and his beloved pack. The boy too has lost much and seen many terrible things. They stand eye-to-eye on either side of the wolf's enclosure and, slowly, each makes his own extraordinary story known to the other...Master storyteller Daniel Pennac weaves a tale that is magical, mysterious and utterly unforgettable. Look into the Eye of the Wolf and you will be captivated.

Born worlds apart: a wolf from the Far North and a boy from Yellow Africa...The wolf has lost nearly everything on his journey to the zoo, including an eye and his beloved pack. The boy too has lost much and seen many terrible things. They stand eye-to-eye on either side of the wolf's enclosure and, slowly, each makes his own extraordinary story known to the other...Master storyteller Daniel Pennac weaves a tale that is magical, mysterious and utterly unforgettable. Look into the Eye of the Wolf and you will be captivated.

Daniel Pennac was born in 1944 in Casablanca, Morocco. He has travelled widely, working at various times as a woodcutter, a Paris cab driver and an illustrator, before finally becoming a schoolteacher - a profession he remains passionate about. One of the most translated authors in France, his books for both adults and children appear in over 30 different languages, including another Walker title, Dog, the poignant and witty tale of a scruffy little pup searching for an owner to train and love. Daniel Pennac lives in Paris.

2008-08-26 Simply beautiful

This is a fantastic book! My son and I, who is 9, read this together and for the first time in years he laid down and was simply hypnotised by the swirling imagery of Africa and Alaska and the beautiful language that seemed to weave a spell as it told the sad, yet uplifting story of the boy and the wolf who were brought togther through a shared experience of adversity. It is now our favourite book and proof that children can enjoy something more advanced than silly antics and simplistic language.
Read it and see!