By Rosanne Parry
Illustrations by Monica Armino
4Rbooks 5/6 grades 4-7
Amazon 4.5/5 grade level 3 - 7
Goodreads 4.60/5
Common Sense Media Not yet reviewed
211 pages
Another 32 pages of factual information included at the end.
Synopsis
Warm is the smallest wolf pup in the pack and struggles to keep up with his brothers and sisters, Sharp in particular. He spends time with the pack watcher who teaches him how to recognize sights and smells, and how to use wits and tricks to win in situations where his size will be a problem. Warm accepts that he will never be the leader and will be a watcher, too.
But then, a rival pack comes to the mountain and attacks Warm’s pack. He is tasked with leading the 4 pups away from the fight and protecting them higher in the mountain. Warm suddenly realizes that he is the leader of this very young pack and he must learn quickly how to bring them together and keep everyone safe.
Together the 5 wolves find shelter and food. Warm leaves them to try and find his brother who escaped but is trapped by the rival pack. A new friend, Snow lets him escape and he is eventually found by the pups who are learning to work together. They are soon joined by Snow and Warm’s sister Wag and they head off together, not realizing, at first, they are being followed by the rival pack who wants to kill Warm, the leader, and make the rest workers in their pack.
Since their size and inexperience is against them, Warm’s pack will have to use their cunning, creative, and courage to defeat the other wolves and reclaim their mountain home.
Parental Guidelines: medium
This book is about wild animals so there are number of details that some younger children might find upsetting.
The wolves hunt elk and other animals for food. The children are taught the killing blow. The pups learn by killing a wide variety of smaller animals.
Warm’s pack is attacked by another pack of wolves. He escapes with the pups but his father, mother, and watcher are killed. His two sisters and brother are wounded and captured. His other brother escapes but is later killed by hunters.
There is another wolf battle at the end of the story between Warm’s pack and the pack that killed his parents. More descriptions of wounds and breaking bones. One wolf goes over a cliff and is hurt on a ledge.
Recommendation
I have enjoyed, and reviewed, the first three books by Rosanne Parry about wild animals and I’m happy to state that book four is a winner, too. The story is interesting and compelling with lots of information and action. Like the other three, it is also based on true stories.
The animal characters have distinct personalities, and specified roles in the pack. Warm’s growth from small, timid, watcher to leader of his own pack is well-thought out in both thoughts and actions.
This would be a great book for a classroom or homeschool class with great information about the animals and the environment. Easy jumping off places for further studies and reports. The relationship issues in the pack, and Warm’s personal growth, could lead to great classroom discussions on leadership and finding your role on a team.
The “wild” part of wild animal life might be upsetting to sensitive readers, but I think most upper grade elementary students will enjoy reading this book. It is accessible for struggling readers, and the environmental information will make it interesting for more advanced readers.
I will be looking forward to Ms. Parry’s next book on a wild animal.
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