2013 USBBY Outstanding International Book
Plot summary from Amazon:
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.
“Knowledge of Virginia Woolf and her painter-sister Vanessa Bell is unnecessary; this works beautifully as a bad-day/bad-mood or animal-transformation tale, while readers who know actual depression will find it handled with tenderly forceful aplomb.”
“In an invented episode from Virginia Woolf’s depression-beset youth, young Vanessa Bell narrates the story of one of her sister’s bad spells, punning on Woolf’s adult surname: “She made wolf sounds and did strange things.”
Kyo Maclear about the book:
A trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Questions to consider:
1. How is this book related to Virginia Wolf’s life?
2. What was Bloomsbury? How is the Bloomsbury Group related to Virginia Wolf’s activities?
3. What can we learn about a family and a geographical area of Virginia Wolf by reading and interpreting this book? What additional sources can be helpful to deeper understand this work of fiction?
4. Why did an author and illustrator decide to create a fictional story instead of a non-fictional one?
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