SOMETHING WILD

Performance jitters lead to some imaginative what ifs before a little girl finds her confidence.

Hannah loves to play her violin - as long as no one is watching. So the thought of her upcoming recital has her in a bit of a panic--if only something wild would happen, so she didn't have to go... On the day of the recital, Hannah imagines all kinds of wild scenarios that could delay the inevitable. Perhaps a dolphin will jump out of the fountain and carry her away; or a giant rabbit will abscond with her violin.
Readers will relate to Hannah's performance anxiety and get a laugh out of all her wishful thinking. Most importantly, they will be right there beside her on the day she musters up her courage to perform - and something wild - and beautiful - happens.


Molly Ruttan (mollyruttan.com) wrote and illustrated The Stray, and is the illustrator of Violet and the Crumbs: A Gluten-Free Adventure and I Am a Thief (both by Abigail Rayner). She grew up in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, earned a BFA in graphic design from the Cooper Union School of Art in New York, and established a career as a graphic designer and illustrator in Los Angeles. She is married to her childhood friend and music producer, Gabriel Moffat. In addition to illustrating, drawing, painting, and writing, and parenting three daughters, Molly works part-time as a freelance graphic designer; plays drums and sings in the eclectic-folk rock band New Garden; creates artwork for, records, and performs as a backup singer and percussionist in the progressive art rock band Phideaux (bloodfish.com); and is a member of the Silverlake Conservatory of Music's adult choir Silverlake Singers.