Child of the Wolves - Hardcover

Hall, Elizabeth

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0395765021 ISBN 13: 9780395765029

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1996

Synopsis

Lost and alone in the Alaskan forest, Granite, a Siberian Husky puppy, is rescued by the great white wolf, Snowdrift, and must earn his place in the tribe of wolves, as well as overcome the attacks of hunters.

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Grade 3-6?In this fast-paced, satisfying animal adventure, a young Siberian husky becomes an accepted member of an Alaskan wolf pack. Granite is the oldest of a litter bred to be sled dogs, but he does not take naturally to the harness and training. At the first opportunity, he escapes into the wilderness where, near starvation, he encounters a wolf pack. He is adopted by the mate of the leader, a white wolf whose own pups have recently been kidnapped for the wolf/dog hybrid market. The majesty and harshness of the Alaskan environment, the sophisticated levels of pack communication and behavior, and the many perils, both human and natural, that threaten the survival of the animals are deftly woven into the story. Granite's struggle to find his place in the pack is particularly captivating. While generally plausible, the writing is occasionally jarring when human emotions are attributed to the animals; however, the author defends her position in a note indicating that the latest research on wolves maintains that they "feel emotions once regarded as strictly human." A good choice for leading readers into Jean Craighead George's Julie of the Wolves (HarperCollins, 1972).?Caroline Ward, Nassau Library System, Uniondale, NY
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

A runaway husky pup, Granite, falls in with a wolf pack and struggles to win its acceptance in this Call of the Wild for a younger audience. Granite wouldn't have stood a chance, had not the alpha male's mate, Snowdrift, just lost her pups to human breeders. To ease her grief, Ebony lets the injured dog live, though it's a precarious existence; constantly harassed by the rest of the pack, unable to catch even field mice, Granite is completely dependent on Snowdrift's maternal instincts--at least, at first. Crediting the observations of researchers Adolph Murie and David Mech, as well as a film by Jim Brandenberg, Hall portrays her wolves (and dogs) as intelligent creatures with strong feelings, an expressive language, and a well-developed social structure. People get short shrift, appearing in only a few brief scenes and mostly to do harm; a hunter's bullet blinds Snowdrift, and it's saving her from running over a cliff that finally earns Granite the entire pack's approval. While naming them, even for the purpose of clarity, introduces a false note, the wolves are not unreasonably anthropomorphized; their behavior and ``feelings'' seem perfectly normal given the challenges of the Alaskan wild. (Fiction. 10-12) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Gr. 4^-7. Librarians have traditionally frowned on anthropomorphizing animals in books, but in her opening note, Hall suggests that it is just as foolish to write about dogs as though they did not have intelligent communication, emotions, and problem-solving skills. That said, she offers a story written from the point of view of a Siberian husky pup, Granite, who must learn the ways of wolves to survive after being separated from his own family. Keen observation of canine behavior and thorough research into wolf society help make this a heartfelt wildlife story, with plenty of dramatic events to keep the pages turning. Susan Dove Lempke

Edition details

• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
• Publication date: 1996
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0395765021
• ISBN 13: 9780395765029
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 160