The publishing career of Saanich children’s author Troy Wilson hit a new milestone this month with the release of his seventh book, Little Red Riding Hood and the Misread Wolf.
The author who is known to frequent the Greater Victoria Public Library branch near his Gordon Head home, went a little bit meta with his newest story, with a book about reading. It’s Wilson’s third picture book to be released within nine months, including The Sinking of Captain Otter on Oct. 15 and Dog versus Ultra Dog on April 15.
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It’s a milestone for Wilson’s emerging career, he said, as it’s his first with U.S.-based publisher Running Press Kids, which is part of the larger, worldwide Hachette Book Group.
The plot of “Red” follows the traditional story arc and because of that, the characters, and the reader, project their own expectations of the wolf. Of course, there’s a twist. What makes the story fun is Wilson’s ability to peel the story apart, layer by layer, relying on the original story without telling it.
Of course, what makes a good children’s book is the ability to read it again, and again, and again, as so many parents are asked to do each night. And Red makes this palatable (for adults and kids) with text that offers a consistent reading tempo and images brought to life by Italian-based illustrator Illaria Campana.
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It’s Wilson’s first time working with Campana, who brought a modernized look to Red that’s steeped in tradition.
It’s also Wilson’s first time doing a reading-themed fairy tale, and he has another one with the same publisher, Goldibooks and the Wee Bear, set for the fall of 2020.
Wilson is hosting a book launch for Little Red Riding Hood and the Misread Wolf at Indigo in Mayfair mall, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on July 13.
