The Wolf-Birds

by Willow Dawson (Illustrator)

Overview

In a story set deep in the wild winter wood, two hungry ravens fly in search of their next meal. A pack of wolves is on the hunt, too. Food is scarce, but, if they team up, the ravens and wolves just might be able to help each other.

The ravens follow a pack of starving wolves on the hunt. The wolves come up empty handed – and even lose one of their own in the chase – but the ravens have better luck. The wolves hear the ravens cawing and investigate only to find an injured deer, the perfect meal! The wolves make the kill; the opportunistic ravens benefit, feasting alongside and after the wolves.

The Wolf-Birds takes an honest, unflinching view of survival in the wild, highlighting the fact that one animal’s life helps many others live. Based on scientific data and anecdotal reports from Aboriginal hunters, the book explores the fascinating symbiotic relationship shared by wolves and ravens. Because ravens follow and scavenge food from wolves — which scientists believe hints at an ecological relationship thousands of years old — ravens have been dubbed “wolf-birds.” An informational author’s note at the back of the book explains more about

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781771470544
Publisher:	OWLKIDS BOOKS
Publication date:	09/15/2015
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	10.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD560L (what's this?)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Willow Dawson is an award-winning author and illustrator originally from Vancouver, B.C. Her last name means "son of the daw," which is short for jackdaw, a type of blackbird. Willow's books include The Wolf-Birds, Avis Dolphin, Hyena in Petticoats, The Big Green Book of the Big Blue Sea, Lila and Ecco's DIY Comics Club, and No Girls Allowed. Dawson also visits schools and libraries regularly and teaches "Creating Comics and Graphic Novels" at the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies. She lives in Toronto, ON with her partner and their two children.

Editorial Reviews

06/22/2015
Dawson (Avis Dolphin) investigates the interaction between hunting wolves and carrion-eating ravens—a symbiotic relationship she describes in an author’s note with the biological term “mutualism.” Set in the “wild winter wood,” the events center around the hunt for prey. The pace is fast and the consequences are, literally, a matter of life and death. In the first few pages, one of four wolves is kicked by its prey, a bison, and dies: “Three wolves must say goodbye.” Later, with help from ravens (“Two birds dip their wings and cry out”), the three bring down a deer: “one animal’s life helps many others live,” Dawson explains. Her graceful artwork borrows its forms and rhythms from Native American artwork. The creatures of the forest are heavily outlined in sinuous curves and colored with the hues of stone and soil. When the wolves corner the deer, she shows them at the moment of capture, fangs bared; it’s like a Greek frieze, a frozen moment. This is a fine resource for demonstrating how the hunt depends on cooperation both within species and between them. Ages 5–8. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

New York Public Library's 100 Titles for Reading & Sharing

"Layering beautiful illustrations and storytelling over scientifically accurate concepts, The Wolf-Birds draws readers to the poetry of predator, prey, and scavenger interactions. Dawson’s honest portrayal of ecological relationships effectively, and importantly, connects us to the raw beauty of our natural world."
– Daniel Stahler, PhD, Wildlife Biologist, Yellowstone National Park

"Graphic novelist Dawson's acrylic-on-cardboard illustrations suggest an archetypal, cave painting style, at times whimsical but nonetheless dynamic and intimate...a solid introduction to forest ecology."
— School Library Journal-Starred Review

"An interesting, contemplative addition to the nature shelf."
– Kirkus

"Graceful artwork...a fine resource for demonstrating how the hunt depends on cooperation both within a species and between them."
– Publisher's Weekly

"Earth-toned acrylic paintings, with stylized, flat forms in spare landscape, evoke the leanness of the woods in late winter and highlight the stark realities of the life cycle."
—The Horn Book Inc.

"Recommended."
—Canadian Review of Materials

"I really do like the pictures in this book. They make you feel nervous, and then sad, and then happy, like you've just made a new friend."
—Rachel, age 9, Kids' Book Buzz

"Beautiful...describes factually and in a calm and steady tone how birds and animals survive during cold winter months in a northern forest."
—Resource Links

"An exciting, evocative book."
—National Reading Campaign

A Junior Library Guild Selection
One of School Library Journal's Most Anticipated Titles for Spring 2016

"Low-key yet powerful...simple, resonant, superb."
—Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW

"Delivers a meaningful message about individuality and tolerance."
—School Library Journal

"Poignant... a story about deceptive appearances."
—Publishers Weekly

"Dawson's illustrations are amazing."
—Unshelved

From the Publisher

2015-05-06
A pair of hungry ravens helps wolves hunt during the winter starving time. Dawson's first picture book is based on observers' reports of ravens alerting hunters—both humans and wolves—to potential prey. Her words and pictures reveal the stark circumstances of late winter. The ravens watch a wolf pack chase a buffalo; the buffalo gets away but not without delivering a fatal kick to one of the wolves. The hunt continues until the birds see an injured deer and summon the wolves. This second chase is more successful. "One animal's life helps many others live." The spare text is set on acrylic paintings with a vintage look. These stylized images are full of the curves and bold outlines of graffiti art yet at the same time are reminiscent of the work of Dahlov Ipcar. Their abstraction offsets the story's harsh realism, which may still disturb a sensitive youngster. The colors, shades of brown, red-brown, and gray, suggest the drabness of winter; the action is shown both from a distance and up close in vignettes, full-page scenes, and double-page spreads. Dawson uses body language rather than visible blood to denote the dead. The thoughtful pacing of these illustrations demonstrates this artist's experience with graphic storytelling. The text is less successful, with elevated, sometimes-awkward language that relies heavily on ellipses and works too hard to tell the story in a lyrical fashion. An interesting, contemplative addition to the nature shelf. (author's note) (Informational picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews