When Virginia wakes up feeling wolfish, “The whole house sank. Up became down. Bright became dim. Glad became gloom.” Her younger sister Vanessa tries to cheer Virginia up with no success, until she starts decorating the walls with a painting of an imaginary place called “Bloomsberry.” The literary allusions in Kyo Maclear’s picture book will go over the heads of young readers and listeners, for whom the names Virginia and Vanessa Woolf and Bloomsbury will be complete unknowns. But the book’s success is in capturing how one person’s grumpiness can have a profound impact on the mood in a house. The truth is in the child-centered details of both the narrative and Isabelle Aresnault’s marvelous illustrations, which show Virginia transformed into a wolf in silhouette. By story’s end, those pointy, wolfish ears are revealed as the big bow she wears on her head. Art, creativity, imagination, and a sister’s love save the day. (Ages 5–8)

Vanessa's sister, Virginia, is in a ?wolfish? mood --- growling, howling and acting very strange. It's a funk so fierce, the whole household feels topsy-turvy. Vanessa tries everything she can think of to cheer her up, but nothing seems to work. Then Virginia tells Vanessa about an imaginary, perfect place called Bloomsberry. Armed with an idea, Vanessa begins to paint Bloomsberry on the bedroom walls, transforming them into a beautiful garden complete with a ladder and swing ?so that what was down could climb up.? Before long, Virginia, too, has picked up a brush and undergoes a surprising transformation of her own. Loosely based on the relationship between author Virginia Woolf and her sister, painter Vanessa Bell, Virginia Wolf is an uplifting story for readers of all ages.