Two good wolf books for Christmas Presents

12-7-2003

In the last 2 years a number of books about wolves have come out. Two of them stand out in my mind. Jim Halfpenny's "Yellowstone Wolves in the Wild" and Brian Connolly's "Wolf Journal."

They are written for different audiences. Halfpenny writes in detail interesting stories about the real Yellowstone wolves and uses the actual events to illustrate wolf behavior and wildlife ecology.

Connolly, who you will often find watching the Yellowstone wolves in the summer, writes a short novel about wolves and appreciation of nature for middle school and high school age.

Connolly's novel is set in Alleghenies of Pennsylvania, where wolves no longer live, but manage to reinhabit. The appearance of wolves leads to a great deal of suspense, adventure and learning about nature for two teenagers, who fortunately have good adult guidance as they secretly watch and learn about the wolves as well as about themselves.  This is a coming of age story of a kind needed during these times when the emphasis has drifted to the artificial for teenagers -- virtual fantasy worlds instead of contact with reality in the outdoors.

As I have become a grandfather, the need for alternatives to fantasy for children has reimpressed me, although mine are far from being teens.

The more you already know about Yellowstone's wolves, the more you will like Halfpenny's text and the large number of good, clear, and interesting photos of real Yellowstone wolves in the wild. There isn't a photo of a captive wolf in the book. The Druids get a lot of attention; but the other packs are not ignored. There are rare photos of the Nez Perce Pack, Swan Lake Pack, Leopold and even of the alpha male of the  unofficial Norris trio. My favorite is the winter photo of a gray Nez Perce wolf standing by White Dome Geyser.

I particularly liked Halfpenny's description of how a wolf "sees with its nose." If you already know the numbers of the northern range wolves, you will love this book, and you'll like the book if you have only general knowledge about wolves or Yellowstone.

The book has extensive appendicies giving information about wolf territories and the fate of the orginal reintroduced wolves.

Publication information:

Wolf Journal
by Brian A. Connolly
Paperback: 163 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.44 x 8.10 x 5.90
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation; (January 2002)
ISBN: 1401038638
http://www1.xlibris.com/bookstore/bookdisplay.asp?bookid=13516

Yellowstone Wolves in the Wild
by James C. Halfpenny
Paperback: 104 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.39 x 8.56 x 10.54
Publisher: Riverbend; (June 2003)
ISBN: 1931832269
http://www.riverbendpublishing.com/index_files/page0024.htm

There is also a hardbound limited edition. The front and back covers are stamped with the paw prints of the Druid alpha pair.

  Copyright © 2003 Ralph Maughan