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Jun 07, 2015mmcbeth29 rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
SUMMARY: A baby girl showed up in the forest. The animals took her in and raised her. Bird taught here to speak and Bear taught her how to eat. She was happy. Until one day, hunters found her and brought her to a psychiatrist. The man and his wife tried to turn her into a civilized child by teaching her to speak English and good manners. The child did not understand and was not happy. One day, she went back into the wild and everyone felt this was right. ILLUSTRATIONS: The illustrations in this book are quite stunning. They are colorful, rich, and extremely detailed. Hughes uses a large eyed style that brings life to her characters. The girl's hair is drawn in such as way that is looks like weeping willow branches. I especially love the strategically placed plant life over the little girl to keep her modesty. THE GOOD: The beginning of the story is quite delightful. Watching the little girl frolic in the wild is fun and humorous. I love how she brings the psychiatrist's pets with her when she returns to the wild because this is where they belong. THE NOT AS GOOD: There were two aspects I was uncomfortable with when the girl was brought to the couple's home. One was the sinister look of the psychiatrist. This was frightening. The other was how the girl completely trashed every inch of their home with her wild ways. I felt this was extreme. AGE RECOMMENDATION: Due to the more mature message (including all that being with the psychiatrist entailed) in this story line, I think it is best suited to ages 5-8