This delightful and often humorous picture book treats the subject of depression in a more light-hearted way than most, and this has its advantages. In a twist on the well-known aspects of the Bloomsbury Group, Virginia in this story actually becomes a wolf when she is depressed. Her sister, Vanessa, likes to paint (!) and tries her best to help Virginia be a non-wolf, but nothing works. Virginia is a very bossy wolf: when friends try to visit she tells them, 'I'm not home..'; Vanessa mustn't wear a bright-coloured dress or 'brush her teeth so loudly'; even the bird is told to shut up! 'The whole house sank. Up became down. Bright became dim. Glad became gloom.' Eventually Virginia refuses even to talk at all. Vanessa again tries her best to help, and finally gets her sister to say what might make her feel better. She thinks flying to a better place will help and comes up with the word Bloomsbury (of course!) - 'a place with iced cakes and beautiful flowers and excellent trees to climb and absolutely no doldrums.' And so whilst Virginia sinks down in sleep again, Vanessa begins to create Bloomsbury with her paints. And when Virginia wakes up, she slowly begins to notice the beauty and colour around her, and together they riotously enjoy her creation. The house turns right side up again because Vanessa has painted a ladder and 'Dim became bright. Gloom became glad.' In the morning, the two sisters realise that the drawings on the walls are not quite the wonderful creations they had thought. The flowers and trees are amateur productions, but it doesn't matter. Virginia is no longer a wolf, and the brightness of Bloomsbury is safe in their minds. Young children will not know about Bloomsbury and Virginia's all-too-real-depression, Vanessa's paintings, and the brightly coloured interiors of their houses, but parents will and enjoy the ambiance while also helping their child know that depression can be short-term and that joy can follow. The illustrations are amazing, quite unique, and the text is actually part of the illustration in a way I've not seen before. Blacks and greys predominate in the beginning, while there is an explosion of colour at the end. Wonderfully imaginative in every way. Superb!