THE SEASONS OF LITTLE WOLF

The creators of The Eyes of Grey Wolf (1993) bring the same close intimacy to this sequel—a chronicle of a cub’s eventful first year.

Thanks to the illustrations’ low angle of view, readers practically become members of the pack. Little Wolf and his three littermates are born in spring, bumble out of the cozy den for playtime in the warm months of summer, and then in autumn, join parents Gray Wolf and White Wolf on a hazardous first hunt. London likewise invites children to think of the wolves as practically human: Little Wolf and his sibs “chow down” by nipping Gray Wolf’s muzzle after he returns from a hunt. (London leaves the exact mechanism of delivery ambiguous, which may cause readers to believe that Gray Wolf has just carried a mouthful of meat home to the cubs.) The cubs also play “tug-of-war” and “hide-and seek” until things get too wild and White Wolf imposes a “wolf’s time-out.” Still, for all the attentive parenting, close family ties and social nature on display here, the wolves are not anthropomorphized.

Respectful and informative, with dashes of humor and drama.