A wonderful book on the importance of all creatures in maintaining a healthy and balanced ecosystem. ( )

This beautifully illustrated book describes the imbalance in nature caused by the killing of wolves across the United States in the early 1900s, and the subsequent renewal that occurred when the wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park, in 1995.

The oh-so-scary wolves were killed off so people could enjoy the sweet, "nice" animals in Yellowstone Park. But the loss of the wolves made for negative ripples throughout the park ecosystem. With the reintroduction of the wolves, the ecosystem is slowly righting itself.

Jean Craighead George - author of the Newbery Medal winning Julie of the Wolves, and the Newbery Honor Book My Side of the Mountain - delivers an immensely engaging non-fiction picture-book with The Wolves Are Back, one which manages to be both educational and endearing. A celebration of the return of the wolf to Yellowstone National Park, after a long absence brought on by extermination campaigns that culminated in 1926, this book emphasizes, time and again, the environmental benefits of returning a predator species to its natural habitat. It is a question, as the narrative makes plain again and again, of balance.

As a confirmed wolf-lover, I was pretty much guaranteed to love this book, which portrays wolves in a realistic, non-romantic way, thoroughly debunking any idea that their role is a harmful, or even "evil" one. In clear, simple prose, George highlights the many species that benefit from the wolves' presence - and it's not always the ones you might think, as witnessed by the reappearance of a number of bird species long since departed from the region - while Wendell Minor brilliantly captures the beauty and power of these marvelous animals in his lovely artwork. If I have one complaint, about The Wolves Are Back, it is that there isn't any kind of afterword, with further information (something I've unconsciously started to expect, with picture-book non-fiction), but leaving that aside, this is just a superbly educational book, one I recommend to all young wolf lovers, and to any children interested in the complex interaction of various species in an ecosystem. ( )

Summary:
This is a story about the wolves being put back into Yellowstone National Park. It also explains how the food chain works and can be effected. It shows wolves in a positive light.

My Response:
I liked the idea of teaching children wolves are dangerous but they are not always "bad".

Classroom extensions:
1. I think this would be a great story to read after some of the fairy tale books that paint wolves in a bad picture.
2. This would be a great book to read while teaching children about food chains. ( )