THE FIRST PUPPY

Prehistoric times come alive in a story that is ""straight adventure"" as well as a good illustration of how the dog might have been domesticated. The author, who wrote The First Bow and Arrow, achieves a good balance between his situation- a step by the Magdalenian people on the road to enlightenment over superstition- and his characters which he makes true to their world view, yet understandable to us. Great Bear, a young boy hunter whose people believe wolves have a spiritual power and a hence will not kill them finds himself with a problem when his little sister brings home a wolf puppy. They name him Streak. While the rest of the tribe blames all bad luck, much of which comes to them from the wolves they refuse to kill, on Streak, the puppy begins to prove his worth as a watchdog and hunting companion. Later, he leads them to much needed game and when Great Bear solves a cave painting mystery that explodes the wolf legend, there is a dramatic killing of the marauding pack.