Look to the North: A Wolf Pup Diary - Hardcover

George, Jean Craighead

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060236418 ISBN 13: 9780060236410

Publisher: Harpercollins Childrens Books, 1997

Synopsis

Newbery Medalist Jean Craighead George lovingly tells the story of three wolf pups--from the moment they open their eyes to the time they lead the hunt. Lyrical passages in her wolf pup diary describe how the pups tumble and play and when they first learn to howl and talk wolk talk. Readers are reminded of the changes in nature that are happening in the lower 48 states as they "look to the north" to watch the wolf pups grow. Jean George's words and Lucia Washburn's breathtaking paintings give the reader a rare glimpse of one of nature's noblest creatures: the wolf.

About this title

About the Author

Born in Washington, D.C. and raised in a family of naturalists, Jean George has centered her life around writing and nature. She attended Pennsylvania State University, graduating with degrees in English and science. In the 1940s she was a member of the White House press corps and a reporter for the Washington Post. Ms. George, who has written over 90 books - among them My Side of the Mountain (Dutton), a 1960 Newbery Honor Book, and its sequels On the Far Side of the Mountain and Frightful's Mountain (both Dutton) - also hikes, canoes, and makes sourdough pancakes. In 1991, Ms. George became the first winner of the School Library Media Section of the New York Library Association's Knickerbocker Award for Juvenile Literature, which was presented to her for the "consistent superior quality" of her literary works.

Her inspiration for the Newbery Medal-winning Julie of the Wolves evolved from two specific events during a summer she spent studying wolves and tundra at the Arctic Research Laboratory of Barrow, Alaska: "One was a small girl walking the vast ad lonesome tundra outside of Barrow; the other was a magnificent alpha male wolf, leader of a pack in Denali National Park ... They haunted me for a year or more, as did the words of one of the scientists at the lab: 'If there ever was any doubt in my mind that a man could live with the wolves, it is gone now. The wolves are truly gentlemen, highly social and affectionate.'"

The mother of three children, Jean George is a grandmother who has joyfully red to her grandchildren since they were born. Over the years Jean George has kept 173 pets, not including dogs and cats, in her home in Chappaqua, New York. "Most of these wild animals depart in autumn, when the sun changes their behavior and they feel the urge to migrate or go off alone. While they are with us, however, they become characters in my books, articles, and stories."

Reviews

Kindergarten-Grade 3. George uses a journal approach to illuminate the first 10+ months of life for three wolf pups born to an alpine tundra pack. Each entry in the "diary" is prefaced with a message (in colored inks) to readers/listeners living south of the area telling them how to keep "tundra-time" in the framework of their own seasons. "When you see dandelions turning silver...." "When the yellow warblers return...." "When you are eating fresh blueberries...." Then, George writes, "Look to the north" and in the following paragraph(s), she describes the pups, their gradual development, and their environment. The lyrical text is accompanied by large, realistic acrylic paintings of the adult wolves, the pups, and their habitat along with small cameos of the southern reminders?a clump of dandelions, a yellow warbler (the illustrator should consult a Peterson guide), ripe blueberries, etc. The author's research is impeccable, and her affection for her subject evident, affirmed in a personal note. Children will take pleasure in the simply worded narrative and the warm pictures, and will store some accurate wolf data in their memories, as well as take stronger note of their own habitats as they keep an eye out for dandelions, for fresh blueberries on the table, and for Halloween jack-o-lanterns on front porches.?Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

A charming but sentimental book about the first months in the lives of wolf pups, from birth to young adult. George (There's an Owl in the Shower, 1995, etc.) notes in the introduction that in the ``nursing, tumbling, fighting, and growing children of the wild I see all children.'' The pups- -Boulder, Scree, and Talus--play, chase, fight, challenge each other, develop specialties, learn to howl, hunt, and even care for an injured beta wolf. Talus, the smallest pup, rated the bottom of the pack, gains status because of his superior ability to sniff out game. Finally, the three of them wait for the next litter to be born. Children will enjoy the brief text and softly colored drawings of the pups, their parents, and baby-sitter. Washburn, in her first book, has created sweet tableaux of wolves in the wild: purple and lilac landscapes and fluffy, smiling wolves. (Picture book. 5-9) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Ages 5^-8. George, who has shown her affinity for wolves in her two Julie books as well as in her autobiography, now introduces younger children to the species. In a series of double-page spreads, George describes a year in the life of three wolf pups, following their development through the seasons. Each section of text begins with an observation of nature in the lower 48 states, such as, "When you see the dandelions turning silver, look to the north. Wolf pups are being born," then tells what's happening among the little pups and their pack. Each spread includes a large painting of the wolves and a smaller one related to the opening sentences, such as a picture of dandelions going to seed. The delicately textured acrylic paintings offer lively yet loving views of the wolves, perfectly complementing George's appealing text. A fine addition to science collections. Carolyn Phelan

Edition details

• Publisher: Harpercollins Childrens Books
• Publication date: 1997
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0060236418
• ISBN 13: 9780060236410
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Washburn Lucia
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32