Gray Wolf Pup (Smithsonian Wild Heritage Collection) - Hardcover

Kindergarten-Grade 2-Brief glimpses of Alaskan wildlife, with basic scientific information integrated into the story lines. On the plains of the Central Uplands, Gray Wolf Pup lives with his pack. One day while playing he gets separated from them. His mother and father find him by following his scent and his howls, and he learns never to stray away again. Snowshoe Hare lives on the grasslands. During the summer she is brown and blends in with her surroundings; in the autumn, her coat becomes speckled with white, and by winter she is completely white. Even though she is camouflaged, she must be on the lookout for danger, and escapes from a lynx and a great horned owl. As the days lengthen, her coat changes again to brown. She gives birth to three babies, who learn to survive on their own. Young readers will find the language of these titles challenging but not overwhelming. The action verbs maintain a high level of excitement. The double-spread, full-color illustrations softly portray the beauty of the Alaskan countryside and are accurate in detail. These stories can be enjoyed on their own or used to enhance science lessons.
Sandra Welzenbach, H.K. Williams Elementary School, San Antonio, TX
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

In the Smithsonian Wild Heritage Collection, an Alaskan wolf pup is portrayed during a single day--romping with other pups, deferring to his father, straying from the pack when he chases a mouse. At twilight, his parents track him and fetch him home. To state that ``From now on, Gray Wolf Pup will follow the pack's rules. He will not wander nor disobey his parents'' may exaggerate the effect of a single experience, but the more general concept--that the pup is learning essential lessons through each interaction--is on target. And though her text is simple, Boyle neatly incorporates other basics of wolf behavior- -e.g., that the mother is the ``alpha female'' (one of several terms defined in a short glossary). Domm uses a palette dominated by saturated greens and blues for skillful depictions of a tundra lush with wildflowers and the animals in a variety of typical poses. An attractive introduction. Also new: Boyle's Summer Coat, Winter Coat (ISBN: 0-56899-015-4), about an Alaskan snowshoe hare. (Nonfiction/Picture book. 3-8) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.