IN THE QUIET, NOISY WOODS

Sibling wolf pups leave their pack to explore the forest amid the raucous sounds of its various creatures.

The quiet woods can be a noisy place if you stop to listen to the myriad voices calling out. The constant “chorus of chirps and clicks and chits that peep and repeat” is a conversation of sorts. “Who’s there? / Over here, over here. / Stay away! / You there? / Feed me! Feed me! / That’s mine! / All’s well….” Frisky wolf pups bound through the forest playing and chasing each other, adding their “yip-yap-yowls” to the “chit-chitter-chattering” of squirrels, the “stomp-stomp-stamps” of a buck, and the “scree-scree-screeches” of a hawk. The rhythmic, lyrical text builds cumulatively from page to page, adding the onomatopoeic vocalizations as each new animal is introduced, at times presenting a tongue-twisting challenge. It all continues until a long, loud howl from the pups’ father elicits the pups’ “yip-yip-yippeeeeee! grr-row-row! row-row!” response, signaling a joyful reunion of the wolf family against a crescendo of boisterous banter. Lovely realistic paintings in earthy hues of greens, browns, and yellows evoke hectic daytime woodland activity before eventually settling down to a soothing nighttime conclusion. Pups snuggle with their mother, and “All’s well.”

A visually attractive rendition with an intensifying, onomatopoeic text that repays the practice it requires for reading aloud.