Walk with a Wolf (Read and Wonder)

After a lone hungry wolf finds companions whose combined strength drags down an old moose, the entire pack sleeps through a blizzard and dreams of the return of spring

Kindergarten-Grade 3?"Walk with a wolf" in this handsome pictorial nature story as she joins her family pack. Children follow along as the members of the group stalk an old, lame bull moose and sleep through a Yukon blizzard (with the female dreaming of spring and new pups). Interspersed with the simply written story (set in a large font with ample spacing) are italicized snippets of factual information on lupine behavior. Readers may also derive pleasure from using the brief index to pinpoint areas of interest. The extremely attractive watercolors are realistic and eye-catching, and the illustrator has scrupulously avoided gory depictions (though the text mentions "Drops of his blood...like berries"), leaving to readers' imaginations the grosser aspects of obtaining fresh meat. The slight anthropomorphism of lupine dreams does not detract from the visual beauty of the book, nor from its informative qualities, and it should find an audience among younger readers and listeners who enjoy exploring the natural world. Pair it with Jean Craighead George's attractive Look to the North (HarperCollins, 1997) for an excellent picture of these dramatic predators.?Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This poetic picture book takes readers into the snowy Yukon Territory, where wolves roam (as they once did throughout the Northern Hemisphere). "Walk with a wolf in the cold air before sunrise./ She moves, quiet as mist,/ between spruce trees and birches." Howker's spare words capture the spartan season in which food is scarce and the landscape barren. Yet, here and there, the narrative blossoms with lovely metaphor and stings with harsh realism: the sky is alive with "a million gray ice moths"; when the pack attacks a moose, "drops of his blood fall like berries to the ground." Unobtrusive explanatory notes follow the curves of the illustrations in italics?embellishing spacious white backgrounds with the subtlest shades of gray tints and tan washes. The effect may appear bland to some readers, but elegant to others. Author and artist offer readers a rare and intimate glimpse of a wolf's wintry world. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Ages 4^-8. Howker's simple, eloquent picture book, set in the Yukon Territory, introduces young readers and listeners to the life of a wolf. Poetic, descriptive phrases take us through the majestic arctic landscape and some of the animal's experiences, such as hunting, family life with her pups and mate, and sleeping at the end of a long day. Beautiful, elegant watercolor illustrations accurately portray the icy chill and isolation of the Far North and capture the animals' grace and motion. Peppered among the pictures are little asides of information, offering facts about packs, feeding habits, and the wolf's relation to dogs. Wolves are a fascinating and rare animal, once hunted to near extinction, and the book affords young ones the opportunity to view close-up their beauty and environment and to understand the value of protecting them. Shelle Rosenfeld