Look to the North: A Wolf Pup Diary
by George, Jean Craighead. Illustrated by Lucia Washburn. (HarperCollins, 1998 ISBN 0064435105. Order Info.) Picture Book. Grades Prek+.
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BEYOND THE DEEPWOODS and STORMCHASER --- the first two novels of "The Edge Chronicles" by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell --- made their U.S. publication debut in June.
To celebrate the books' U.S. publication, Random House Children's Books is
hosting a special contest for U.S. readers open through October where one
Grand-Prize Winner will win a trip to the Grand Canyon. For complete rules
and regulations visit More information about the books --- including games, a "creature guide" and maps --- can be found online at http://www.edgechronicles.com. The third volume in the series, MIDNIGHT OVER SANCTAPHRAX, is scheduled to hit U.S. bookstores this fall. |
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Review
We follow three new wolf pups in the den in the far north. A record of the passing time is expressed in number of weeks at the top left of each spread. Italic sentences tell what its happening at that time in the world of many readers. A vignette on the opposite page illustrates a part of that experience while the large illustrations and the major part of the text shows how the baby wolves are progressing.
Activities
Mark the times indicated in the book on a calendar and then go back to the book. This time, state the month as you read each event.
Find and read the book, Happy Birth Day featured on page 38 of Picture Books in the Classroom. Use the calendar from the activity above and mark down what the baby would be capable of doing at that age, if it is born at the same time the wolf pups are.
Write down a list of facts about wolves that you learned from this book. Then read Seymour Simon's book Wolves on page 218 of Picture Books in the Classroom. Add facts to your list from that book.
Why do you think Jean Craighead George wrote this book? What does she want you to know?
Compare this book to Seymour Seymour's book Wolves (see page 218 of Picture Books in the Classroom) and Walk with a Wolf by Janni Howker (Candlewick, 2002 ISBN 0763618721). Then make up a chart like the one below.
| TITLE | AUTHOR | FICTION OR FACT | WHAT THE AUTHOR WANTS US TO KNOW |
| Look to the North | Jean Craighead George | Fact | How baby wolves learn from the bigger wolves. How the whole pack cares for the babies. |
| Walk With a Wolf | Janni Howker | Fiction | What a day in the life of one wolf is like. |
On a globe, locate some of the places where Jean George's book could have happened. Locate some of the places where the person could be who sees the other things in the book like the arrival of red-wing blackbirds.
Do all the things mentioned in the part of the book in italic print happen in your part of the world? Which ones do not? Change those things to those that do happen in your area.
Mark on a calendar the time of the year when, if ever, you can expect to see snow in your area. When does the weather start to get hot? When do green things start to grow? When do the leaves turn brown?
Notice how the whole wolf pack helps to care for the cubs. What other animals are part of a community? How does your community help to raise children?
Make food chains for each animal mentioned in the book.
Related Books
Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China by Ed Young. (1989, Philomel. ISBN 9780399216190. Order Info.) Picture Book. 32 pages. Gr 2-9.
This tale from China is a version of Little Red Riding Hood. A mother leaves her three daughters while she visits their granny. While she's gone a wolf comes to their door disguised as their granny. It's the illustrations that bring this book to a high level. Young uses panels which echo Chinese decorative screens as well as full page spreads on which the image of the wolf is sometimes subtle but ubiquitous. It won the Caldecott Medal. We highly recommend it.
Related Areas Within Carol Hurst's Children's Literature Web Site
- This newsletter is an excerpt from our ebook:
Picture Books in the Classroom available online at:
http://www.carolhurst.com/products/picturebooks.html - Other books by us:
http://www.carolhurst.com/products/products.html
Related Areas Elsewhere on the Internet
- Wolf Pictures and Facts http://fohn.net/wolf-pictures-facts/ including links to more wolf sites.
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In Martin's "The Finest Horse in Town," the two children that the author imagines might have taken care of Prince got two pennies a week for their job. Figure out how much money they would have if they kept care of Prince through all the seasons the book says they did. How will you go about figuring that out?
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