THE EPIC TALE OF CODY COYOTE

In Koehn’s middle-grade adventure, a coyote-wolf pup is destined to save a land of anthropomorphized forest animals.

Flocking birds are the first sign that something’s wrong in the land of Toaz; sparrows gather in Yotetown, where the law forbids them to live or even fly close to the ground. Clint Cane, a coyote whose job is guarding a river border, leads a scouting team to see what’s going on. He doesn’t allow his 13-moons-old son Cody, whose mom is a wolf and who yearns for adventure, to join him. Cody soon learns that danger is on its way to Yotetown—Cougar King Rugar has already spearheaded an assault on a neighboring city. He’s also out for revenge against the Canes, blaming Cody’s grandfather for his own father’s death. Who will stop Rugar from destroying all of Toaz? According to a prophecy, Cody will. He assembles quite a few allies, including Bears and a Raccoon, to make a stand against the Cougars, Vultures, and an evil Condor witch who’s stolen a precious stone Cody must recover. Sprightly animals populate Koehn’s novel: Cody travels to Rugar’s Tower with Ren, a bird who complains endlessly, has a run-in with Mr. Tori, the mild-mannered Tortoise, and passes through Skunksdale, the home of “wealthy, fashionable Skunks.” It’s a sheer delight to witness Cody build up his courage and make new friends. The journey across Toaz to challenge the Cougar King keeps the narrative moving to a steady, consistently engaging beat. Adding to the fun is the characters’ tendency to periodically break into song—the text includes lyrics and a link to a playlist for an original soundtrack. The author contributed the novel’s plentiful illustrations—black-and-white depictions of Cody racing, howling, or confronting twice-his-size Rugar.

A rollicking story of a four-legged hero and his pals defying the odds.