Shortlisted 2001, CLA Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Award
Shortlisted 2001, CLA Book of the Year for Children Award
Canadian Children's Book Centre, Starred Our Choice Selection
Nominated for 2001 Governor General's Award for Children's Literature - Illustration
 
At night we lay in bed and listened to the howl of the wolf on the hill. In sleep, we saw his shadow slink along the moonlit wall as the great beast circled the town. No one in Gubbio is safe from the monstrous wolf that stalks them. The townsfolk, armed with pitchforks, travel in groups and never venture out at night. One day a band of strangers comes to town led by the Poverello, the poor one. People say he understands the language of bird and beast. Even so, when he offers to go into the forest and face the wolf, everyone is certain he will never return. What happens between the wolf and the Poverello as they stand face to face, is a matter of trust and understanding. But for the people of Gubbio, and one boy in particular, it is nothing short of a miracle. Based on one of the legends of St. Francis of Assisi, the story may contain some truth. During repairs to a chapel in Gubbio dedicated to the saint, a large wolf 's skull was found underneath the flagstones. The Afterword recounts this amazing fact and provides historical details on the life of St. Francis of Assisi. 
 
Stunning artwork accompanies this legend of a wolf who menaces the town of Gubbio until the Poverello, St. Francis of Assisi, brings townspeople and wolf into harmony. Gentle and moving
- The Ottawa Citizen.

What makes this story so powerful is the beautiful simplicity of the language and the magnificent illustrations.
- Resource Links

The quiet of Bedard's narrative is deeply powerful, and children will be intrigued by the afterword, which adds a bit of history to the legend about the saint who talked to animals.
- Booklist