Are wolves afraid of the dark? by Huw Lewis Jones. Illus. by Sam Caldwell

Generations of children, stretching right back to the late 17th century when the wolf ate Little Red Riding Hood's grandmother in Charles Perrault's Le Petit Chaperon Rouge and the Brothers Grimm wrote Little Red Cap and similar stories to encourage young children to behave or else, the species has endured a bad reputation in literature - even in Wolfgang and the Magic of Music, the creatures are unwilling to join his band because they are afraid of him - and the phrase 'a wolf in sheep's clothing' is in common usage. So the creators, field guide Huw Lewis Jones and nature illustrator Sam Caldwell put on their real-life hats and invite young readers on an expedition to investigate the truth, starting with the title which would seemingly be at odds with what they already know and believe about the subject, and which is an activity they, themselves, have probably mastered.

Preparing the explorers for their adventures by identifying what they need as well as warning them that what they know now might be challenged, even changed, Huw and Sam introduce subspecies of grey wolf living in forests throughout Europe, North America and China, as well as red wolves in North Carolina and other members of the canid family, including coyotes. Along the way, the aspiring naturalists discover the habitats and habits of the species, learn the difference between a 'timber' and a 'tundra' wolf, what traits wild wolves share with domestic dogs, why wolf poo is so important to scientists and the challenges they face so that, in fact, wolves have far more to fear from us than we have from them!

Even though wolves are not native to Australia and are only found in zoos here, nevertheless there is still a fascination with this apex predator as witnessed by the recent interest in reports about the Sire Wolf being brought back from extinction (although the claim is disputed) and so this is a worthwhile addition to the collection that not only provides new insight but does so in an engaging way with easy-to-read text in manageable chunks and plenty of illustrations.

Themes: Wolves.

Barbara Braxton