RED WOLF COUNTRY

This book brings environmental awareness to readers, not by preaching facts and figures, but by tapping into the forces of nature with matching artistic energy. Evocative pictures of a she-wolf and her mate are enhanced by text that contradicts the myth of the lone wolf. This pair is a true family, and the revealing of the she-wolf's secret lends warmth to the tale without anthropomorphizing it. The facts and figures show up in an afterword, where London (see above) explains how the rare red wolf is being reintroduced into the wild. The problems of reintroduction are dealt with obliquely in the main part of the book, by showing a shotgun-wielding human as the enemy. But the book's primary function is achieved admirably: to put readers in wolf country, running with the pack. (Picture book. 3-6)