Synopses & Reviews
In a story set deep in the wild winter wood, two hungry ravens fly in search of their next meal. A pack of wolves is on the hunt, too. Food is scarce, but, if they team up, the ravens and wolves just
might be able to help each other.
The ravens follow a pack of starving wolves on the hunt. The wolves come up empty handed and#150; and even lose one of their own in the chase and#150; but the ravens have better luck. The wolves hear the ravens cawing and investigate only to find an injured deer, the perfect meal! The wolves make the kill; the opportunistic ravens benefit, feasting alongside and after the wolves.
The Wolf-Birds takes an honest, unflinching view of survival in the wild, highlighting the fact that one animaland#8217;s life helps many others live. Based on scientific data and anecdotal reports from Aboriginal hunters, the book explores the fascinating symbiotic relationship shared by wolves and ravens. Because ravens follow and scavenge food from wolves and#151; which scientists believe hints at an ecological relationship thousands of years old and#151; ravens have been dubbed and#147;wolf-birds.and#8221; An informational authorand#8217;s note at the back of the book explains more about
Review
"Layering beautiful illustrations and storytelling over scientifically accurate concepts, The Wolf-Birds draws readers to the poetry of predator, prey, and scavenger interactions. Dawsonand#8217;s honest portrayal of ecological relationships effectively, and importantly, connects us to the raw beauty of our natural world."
and#150; Daniel Stahler, PhD, Wildlife Biologist, Yellowstone National Park
Synopsis
Deep in the wild winter wood, two hungry ravens fly in search of their next meal. A pack of wolves is on the hunt, too. Food is scarce, but if they team up, the ravens and wolves just might be able to help each other.
Based on the real symbiotic relationship between ravens and wolves, The Wolf-Birds shows how ravens scout for potential prey for wolves. Once they find an animal, the ravens circle it and call out to alert the wolves. When wolves make a kill, ravens will feast alongside or after the wolf pack. Because of this phenomenon, ravens have been dubbed and#147;wolf-birds.and#8221; An informational authorand#8217;s note at the back of the book explains more about this phenomenon.
The book takes an honest, direct view of survival in the wild, but it focuses on cooperation and highlights the fact that one animaland#8217;s life helps many others live. Acrylic paint illustrations give the book a natural, multidimensional feel that completes this portrait of symbiosis.
About the Author
Willow Dawson is an illustrator and cartoonist working out of The RAID studio in downtown Toronto. She illustrated
The Big Green Book of the Big Blue Sea, a science book with an environmental message, and is the creator of
Hyena in Petticoats: The Story of Suffragette Nellie McClung and
Lila and Ecco's Do-It-Yourself Comics Club, and illustrator of the awardand#150;winning graphic novel
No Girls Allowed. Dawson teaches Creating Comics and Graphic Novels at the University of Toronto's School of Continuing Studies. She also teaches sequential art and scriptwriting to youth across the city.