The Wolves Are Back

by Jean Craighead George, Wendell Minor (Illustrator)

Overview

Two renowned children’s book creators teamed up to make this stirring picture book that tells the story of how, over a century, wolves were persecuted in the United States and nearly became extinct. Gradually reintroduced, they are thriving again in the West, much to the benefit of the ecosystem. This book will teach a new generation to appreciate the grace, dignity, and value of wolves as it promotes awareness of the environment’s delicate balance. Paired with gorgeous paintings by landscape artist Wendell Minor, Jean Craighead George’s engaging text will inspire people of all ages to care about the protection of endangered species.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780525479475
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	04/17/2008
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	523,202
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD630L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Jean Craighead George was the preeminent nature writer for children. She is the author of My Side of the Mountain and Julie of the Wolves, and her work spanned 50 years. She died in May 2012 at age 93. 

After completing his studies at the Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida, Wendell Minor began creating original designs for book publishers in New York City. He has created jacket illustrations for more than 2000 books, and has illustrated dozens of books for children, including America The Beautiful and Yankee Doodle America. He lives in Connecticut.

Editorial Reviews

Outstanding historical and present-day photographs of Yellowstone, its inhabitants, and its visitors capture the rugged natural beauty of the park.

Horn Book

Gr 1-4- An uplifting, lyrical story of how wolves were returned to Yellowstone Park after having been aggressively hunted throughout the United States. By 1926, there were no more wolves in the 48 states; the directors of the national parks wanted only "gentle animals." When people realized that nobody had ever been attacked by a wolf, 10 Canadian wolves were released into Yellowstone in 1995, and their numbers increased. Minor's realistic illustrations in natural tones give depth to the sense of joy one experiences through seeing the wolves and other animals restored to a balance of nature. The art, some full page, some full spread, captures life in the park, with its bears, birds, bison, and beavers, its bees, butterflies, and dragonflies. Almost every paragraph ends with the simple but effective refrain, "The wolves were back." Although this is not a detailed account of how the animals live, it is full of facts that children will enjoy as they reflect on the flora and fauna of the area, and on the need to protect our wildlife. This would be a great book for reading aloud, as well as for independent enjoyment.-Esther Moberg, Creswell Library, OR

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School Library Journal

Lush, naturalistic paintings and gentle, carefully chosen words celebrate the return of wolves to the Lamar Valley in Yellowstone National Park. Longtime collaborators George and Minor seem perfectly suited to tell the story of the elimination of the species there by 1926 and its successful reintroduction since 1995. Regular repetition of the title phrase (or "the wolves were gone") adds a poetic cadence to George's text, which emphasizes the importance of gray wolves to the web of life in the park. Minor's watercolor-and-gouache illustrations have texture and depth, focusing closely on individual species-moose, ravens, vesper sparrows, buffalo, beaver, badger, bear and more-in the context of the spectacle of that vast wilderness. This timely, beautiful picture book appears just as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service prepares to remove the Northern Rocky Mountain population of gray wolves from the list of endangered and protected species, a hopeful indicator of a wrong made right. For reading aloud or reading alone, this is a splendid way to share an appreciation for the natural world. (Picture book/nonfiction. 5-12)

Kirkus Reviews