Bringing Back the Wolves: How a Predator Restored an Ecosystem by Jude Isabella, Kim Smith
ISBN: 1771386258
Genres: Animals, Non-Fiction
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
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For 70 years, there were no wolves in Yellowstone National Park. In 1995, wolves were reintroduced to the park in an attempt to bring the ecosystem back to balance. This book chronicles the impacts that both the absence and the presence of wolves has on the Yellowstone ecosystem. How did the reintroduction impact coyotes, bison, ravens, plants, soil, and more? The answers may surprise you.

This book is very well done and will appeal to a wide audience. There are beautiful, colorful, detailed illustrations throughout, and the text is informative without bogging the reader down with too many details. It touches on, and explains, several ecological principles and does so in context making them easier to comprehend. Throughout the text, there are bolded words that are found in a glossary at the end of the book. The vocabulary is a bit advanced, but not so much that a young reader would be unable to follow the story. There are many animals pictured in the illustrations that are not identified, and this seems like a missed opportunity for further education. Recommended for 2nd grade and up.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME