The Horn Book Guide

BIOGRAPHIES

Losure, Mary

Wild Boy: The Real Life of the Savage of Aveyron

170 pp. | Candlewick | March, 2013 | Trade ISBN 978-0-7636-5669-0 $16.99

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering. The feral child who inspired Truffaut’s L’Enfant Sauvage gets a scrupulously nonfictional account. Admirably refraining from conjecture, Losure documents each known fact about the boy, from his favorite foods to his bout with smallpox to his fear of heights. The book’s intimate tone makes his alienation heartbreaking, as do eloquent black-and-white sketches. An author’s note and source notes are included. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2013