THE LUCKY LITTER

Wolf pups get a second chance at life.

Rescued from a raging fire in Alaska’s Kenai National Wildlife Refuge in 2014, five adorable wolf siblings, just 3 weeks old, are cared for and nursed back to health at the infirmary in the Alaska Zoo. Readers are given delightful close-up views of the precious creatures with their lifesavers—first the firefighters who discovered them, orphaned and cowering, and then their doting, round-the-clock caregivers at the zoo. Children will learn much about wolf behavior and growth from the serviceable text and will enjoy the plentiful photos depicting the pups’ playfulness, steady growth, and newfound confidence. Young readers will be heartened to learn that, eventually, when they were mature, strong, and healthy enough, the wolves were relocated—all together—to the Minnesota Zoo. This is a charming tale full of child appeal for young readers who love true animal stories. The large font, bold type, and short but informative sentences make for easy, comfortable reading. Unfortunately, while extremely endearing, the photos are generally grainy, though this doesn’t detract from the “aww” factor. Four pages of so-so, text-heavy learning activities, with a link to the publisher’s website, appear in the backmatter. Only two of them actually have anything for kids to do; the remaining two pages include informational text.

A sweet read-aloud and useful resource for classroom animal studies, especially regarding endangered habitats.