Absorbing reading, if sometimes bearing down on moral lessons.
Character portraits of three wolves—two heroic, one not so much.
Leaving out inessential detail and (aside from occasional personal comments in boldface) nearly all human presence, McIntyre turns narratives from his Alpha Wolves of Yellowstone series into still absorbing but more quickly paced studies. He and co-author Poulsen focus on a mated pair, dubbed Wolf 21 and Wolf 42, highlighting their close relationship and the way they cared for their pack over a period of years. The authors go on to tell a more nuanced tale of Wolf 302, a sneaky, unreliable Lothario who only began to show signs of a reformed character after many years of reprehensible behavior. Other wolves move in and out of view in the meantime. Some wolves do get names, an inconsistency that only makes keeping track of who’s who harder; for all the winningly immersive descriptions of typical behaviors and changes within the pack, anthropomorphism takes command both in language—302 is described as a “punk rocker"—and in feelings and values on display. These traits range from courage, playfulness, parental care, and loyalty to acts less plausibly ascribed to kindness, altruism, depression, and a desire for revenge. Still, though the authors attempt to present much of the four-legged cast as good and bad examples for two-legged readers, there’s enough vividly narrated natural history to please lovers of wolves or of wild animals in general. Spot art is included; final art not seen.
Absorbing reading, if sometimes bearing down on moral lessons. (Informational fiction. 11-13)Pub Date: April 15, 2025
ISBN: 9781778401930
Page Count: 120
Publisher: Greystone Kids
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
“In 1875 there were perhaps fifty million of them. Just twenty-five years later nearly every one of them was gone.” The author of many nonfiction books for young people (Bridges; Truck; Giants of the Highways, etc.) tells the story of the American bison, from prehistory, when Bison latifrons walked North America along with the dinosaurs, to the recent past when the Sioux and other plains Indians hunted the familiar bison. Robbins uses historic photographs, etchings, and paintings to show their sad history. To the Native Americans of the plains, the buffalo was central to their way of life. Arriving Europeans, however, hunted for sport, slaughtering thousands for their hides, or to clear the land for the railroad, or farmers. One telling photo shows a man atop a mountain of buffalo skulls. At the very last moment, enough individuals “came to their senses,” and worked to protect the remaining few. Thanks to their efforts, this animal is no longer endangered, but the author sounds a somber note as he concludes: “the millions are gone, and they will never come back.” A familiar story, well-told, and enhanced by the many well-chosen period photographs. (photo credits) (Nonfiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-689-83025-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2000
Here is an adventure in a unique setting. The lively text and lovely watercolors document three and a half months of a summer the artist and author spent at the South Pole, as part of the National Science Foundation Antarctic Artists & Writers Program. Hooper describes everyday life aboard the research ship Laurence M. Gould, a sturdy orange icebreaker that scientists use to travel between the islands to study the wide variety of animals who come each year to breed and raise their young. An assortment of penguins, elephant seals, giant petrels, huge skuas, and leopard seals hold center stage. Scientists are less important than the serious business of successfully raising young in the short summer season. The author captures the drama of the ice-cold ocean, alive with life: “Swarms of barrel-shaped blue-tinged salps, stuck together in floating chains. Minute creatures with red eyes. Sliding through the water in a curving path like a ribbon.” The artist provides striking paintings of the landscape and the animals in soft washy colors, and quick pencil sketches. The ice is lemon gold with mauve shadows, and the sea a silver gray in the 24-hour day. Animals are expressive and individual. The krill, the tiny shrimp-like creatures that form the backbone of the ocean food chain, appear in luminous glory. The author concludes with a page on global warming, a map of the islands visited, and an index. From cover to cover a personal and informative journey. (Nonfiction. 7-12)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-7922-7188-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: National Geographic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2000
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