Family Pack

January 1, 2011

As they did with their award-winning A Mother's Journey (2005), Markle and Marks bring the natural world close through the story of a single female animal—in this case, one of the grey wolves released into Yellowstone National Park in 1995. The young female chooses to live and hunt on her own for a year but eventually encounters a solitary male, with whom she mates and raises pups. The family becomes the first naturally formed pack in Yellowstone. The author manages to leave humankind out of the story; without a hint of anthropomorphism but with vivid, poetic language, she shows readers the wolves bound only by nature—"the young wolf stops, watching her prey escape / through a silver cloud of panted breath." Likewise, the illustrator's watercolors add drama and energy (but no gore), all the while keeping the wolves' animal nature paramount. The wolves in action are especially fine: The female pounces on the mouse in the snow; with her mate, she corners a buck. An excellent story for wolf-lovers and a welcome addition to elementary-school science shelves. (Informational picture book. 4-10)

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May 1, 2011

PreS-Gr 2-Markle imagines the life of a young wolf from Canada after she is relocated to Yellowstone as part of the effort to reintroduce the species to the area. The animal survives a year on her own, honing her hunting skills while she matures. After she finds a mate, the two hunt together until she settles into a den to give birth. The two adult wolves and four cubs become one of the successful family packs that have repopulated the park. Marks's watercolor illustrations capture the intelligence and strength of the predators. Although the story offers an interesting glimpse into the experiences of a pair of animals, Dorothy Hinshaw Patent's When the Wolves Returned (Walker, 2008) and Jean Craighead George's The Wolves Are Back (Dutton, 2008) provide a broader picture by explaining the significance of wolves in the restoration of Yellowstone's natural balance. Markle's title could serve as a supplementary resource to those titles.-Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2011
Grades K-3 A young female wolf, brought from Canada and released in Yellowstone National Park, explores the snowy land. Seeing no other wolf tracks, she roams alone, unsuccessfully hunting elk. She howls, but as she has no pack, no one answers. As the seasons change, she matures, and her hunting skills improve. She finds a mate and gives birth to a litter of four pups. After they emerge from the den and eat the meat brought by the male, the wolves howl together as a family pack. Based on actual wolves released in Yellowstone in 1995, the story personalizes the project, which restored the wolf population in the region. Markles matter-of-fact tone creates empathy without anthropomorphism, while the use of present tense brings a sense of immediacy to the narrative. Using pencil, pen, and watercolor, Marks portrays the wolves within varied and beautiful landscapes. Pair this with Jean Craighead Georges The Wolves Are Back (2008), which offers information on the new wolves of Yellowstone.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)