Bringing Back the Wolves

Starred review from December 15, 2019
Isabella and Smith explore the ecological effects of reintroducing wolves to Yellowstone National Park in 1995. Seemingly simple yet remarkably comprehensive--a bit like the ecosystem web it describes--this picture book explains how the Yellowstone National Park ecosystem, deprived for 70 years of its apex predator, became overpopulated with elk and how it began to reclaim its balance with the reintroduction of wolves. While an anchor narrative tells the story of the park's ecosystem changes, interspersed sidebars delve into adjunct topics. For example, recurring sidebars titled "It's Elemental" describe the effects of climate and weather while others add deeper details, such as describing a wolf's physiological traits. In this way, abundant amounts of information are presented in an easy-to-understand format. Colorful, posterlike illustrations add liveliness to the format and open up the whole design visually so the expansive topic feels unintimidating. It's all here: how wolves, by being wolves, reduced the elk population, which allowed more plant life to grow, which brought more berries for bears and more habitat for insects and birds, which created more pollination--among many other restorations. Beyond gaining an understanding of this particular ecosystem, readers will no doubt grasp the concept of the vast interdependencies within any ecosystem. Bolded words within the narrative are defined in a glossary in the backmatter, which also includes further resources and an index. Clear, comprehensive, and thoroughly accessible. (Informational picture book. 8-14)

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April 1, 2020

Gr 2-5-Isabella describes how wolves were reintroduced to the ecosystem in Yellowstone National Park to reduce the elk population. In the late 1800s, the wolves of Yellowstone were hunted to near extinction. This led to an imbalance where the elk population swelled to over 20,000, resulting in a loss of plant and animal life. A team of experts decided to try an experiment where they released 41 wolves into the Yellowstone environment. Over time, the wolves reduced the elk population, resulting in the ecological restoration of Yellowstone. Each page introduces a new animal, plant, or insect that came back to the park and explains the impact they had on the ecosystem. The soft palette of the illustrations shows the majestic beauty of Yellowstone and its creatures. A glossary, resources, and an index are included in the back matter. VERDICT This fascinating story is sure to captivate young conservationists.-V. Lynn Christiansen, Wiley International Studies Magnet Elementary School, Raleigh, NC

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2020
Grades 3-6 At the end of the nineteenth century, the government encouraged the hunting of predators in the American West, hoping to decrease threats to livestock. Once wolves were gone from Yellowstone National Park, however, the landscape of the park changed: some animal populations became overcrowded and certain plants died out, leaving the landscape barren. In a series of well-executed, two-page chapters, this book breaks down in detail the ways wolves influence their environment, the push to restore them to Yellowstone, and how the park has changed since their return. The picture-book format may be initially confusing for some, as there's a lot of information (about wolves and ecosystem structures in general) packed into these pages, and it's definitely a book for confident middle-grade readers who are learning the ins and outs of research texts. Still, the warm cartoon illustrations are undeniably enticing, and they are often accompanied by easy-to-follow charts that clarify the more complicated concepts in the book. Tailor-made for classroom units on biodiversity, and fun to explore as well.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)