Rose Wolves: Out of the Blue (Rose Wolves #2) / Natalie Warner

Rose Wolves: Out of the Blue (Rose Wolves #2)
By: Natalie Warner
Genre: Graphic Novel, Fantasy
Number of Pages: 152
Published: December 2, 2025
Publisher: Shelf Productions
Dates Read: December 21, 2025
Format: Library Book / ebook

A young girl has a special bond with the magical rose wolves in the forest. She shares the magic with her mom and they enjoy picnics and days with the wolves. But when winter creeps in, the young girl is distraught when she finds the rose bush has withered and died in the cold. Her mother takes a remaining sprout from the rose bush and keeps it in their home, nurturing it.

The young girl is too upset about her wolves and stays in bed. Her mom tries to console her with funny hairstyles, cupcakes, and knitting. During the first snow of the season, a surprise comes from the mom’s sapling that may just bring the girl out of her funk.

I adored the first book, so I was pretty giddy when I saw the second book was out on Hoopla through my library.

Even with no words, the emotions of the young girl processing her grief of her missing friend is evident. The first book in the series had hues of rose while this book is hues of blue, which match very well with the theme of “Out of the Blue” where blues and greys can represent depression. Even when the young girl’s depression is lifted, the graphic novel still continues in blue hues to show it can still be beautiful.

There were quite a few years between the two books, and I would love to see it continue, curious if other hue colors would be the themes.

Overall, this is a wonderful, wordless graphic novel about grief that all ages could appreciate.

The House That Floated / Guojing

The House That Floated
By: Guojing
Genre: Children’s, Picture Book
Number of Pages: 40
Published: September 16, 2025
Publisher: Random House Studio
Dates Read: December 21, 2025
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

A wordless children’s picture book about saving a house on a cliff after the ocean’s water levels rise.

I haven’t read wordless children’s books too often, though I have read wordless, and nearly wordless graphic novels quite a few times. They are absolutely a different style of reading. There’s nothing really tying you to the characters except what’s happening in the scene around them.

As a kid, I think this would be the book I would have picked up and “read aloud”, inserting my own narrative and dialog, and then be proud of the story I just “read” to my parents.

Overall, beautiful and detailed snapshots of the story that doesn’t need any words to help move it along.