FROM THE CRITICS

School Library Journal

K-Gr 3-A simply written introduction that focuses on the gray, or timber, wolf and provides just enough factual information for the intended audience. Material covered includes physical characteristics, behavior within a pack, and communication by howling and body language. The controversy that exists between ranchers and the scientists who are seeking to protect the creatures is addressed. Two pages of additional facts and one page of ``Wolf Legends and Myths'' complete the book. Done in Gibbons's familiar style, the format is open and spacious, the print is large, and the realistic, watercolor illustrations are set against backgrounds of white and deep blues. Clearly labeled insets demonstrating specific behaviors and characteristics are especially effective. Most libraries will want this book for its approachable reading level. It will lead children to Seymour Simon's Wolves (HarperCollins, 1993), and later to Sylvia Johnson and Alice Aamodt's more detailed Wolf Pack (Lerner, 1985).-Diane Nunn, Richard E. Byrd Elementary School, Glen Rock, NJ