White Wolf Book

"An engaging survival story told from a white wolf’s point of view. . . . Rich, realistic, and highly readable." — KIRKUS REVIEWS

A young white wolf is trapped in the world of humans, where a young boy considers him a pet, a father sees him as a safeguard against attack by native tribes, and an entire tribe believes he is a powerful figure who has come to protect them from the encroaching white men. But the wolf knows he needs to be free — that he must journey away from humans into the wild and become part of a pack, where he can sing under the stars, hunt for his dinner, and discover what it truly means to be a wolf. With startling vividness and splendid writing, Henrietta Branford takes readers into the mind of a most magnificent creature.

Children's Literature

Told from the point of view of a white wolf in an Indian-like voice, this spare novel (with appealing dust jacket) gives us a fascinating, imaginative look into a wolf's being. The story presents an unsanitized view of the harsh realities of Snowy's life that include being held captive as a pet and guard animal by a son and his father, being sought out as the sacrifice to preserve an Indian tribe's culture, and being hunted by an animal trapper. An inner drive leads him to escape captivity and reenter the wild to reclaim his heritage where seasons dictate hunting patterns. Joining a pack, mating, and howling out into the wilderness are not only necessary for survival but also aesthetically essential to life. The primitive but moving description of all that happens, the manner of naming (such as the white wolf's cub Dances-Along-the-Sky), the grandmother wolf Thin-Moon's tale before she dies-all intimate that there is indeed a connection between wolves and the Wolf Clan. This is a good read for anyone who has ever wondered how an animal thinks and is a sad reminder of the tenuousness of a way of life that depends on open, untamed natural land. 1999 (orig.