Image by Andrea Bohl from Pixabay
I have always been a huge animal lover. I love animals in all shapes and sizes. I’m not a fan of some insects (Brown Recluse spiders to be exact, as well as Praying Mantis – ewww!), but I love all animals. Aside from everyone’s favorites (dogs and cats), I also love tigers, horses, rodents, and bears, to name a few.
There is another animal that I’ve always thought were beautiful and magnificent too, wolves.
I would love to see a wolf in person (well, from a far that is). I swore I saw on once at my father’s house in upstate New York, but chances are it was just a large coyote.
The Bronx Zoo (not far from where I live) does have a wolf exhibit, but for some reason we’ve never happened across it during out travels. The next time we go I’m going to make a beeline to where ever their habitat is at the zoo.
All animals are precious, even if some think they are a nuisance. Take for example racoons. Many people think they are annoying because they mess up their garbage cans. While that might be true, raccoons also eat insects, rodents, and other pests, which helps keep populations in check. Raccoons also eat carcasses of other dead animals. In addition, when they forage for food they turn up the soil, which help the plants, and their poop helps to spread seeds. Raccoons are also food for other animals. ALL animals are extremely important to our ecosystem, even if it’s not obvious.
There is a new book that explores just how important animals are for our ecosystem called Why Wolves Matter: A Conservation Success Story. It’s written by Karen B. Winnick. Ms. Winnick is a deeply committed animal person. She has has created many picture books about animals. She’s also a member of an oversight commission for the Los Angeles Zoo, and a member and supporter of many groups working to save animals, including wolves.
Where did all the wolves go? The birds, the fish, and the beavers? When the top predator was wiped out, the balance of nature in Yellowstone National Park was disrupted. The circle was broken.
This book is about what happened when the wolf population of Yellowstone National Park dwindled. For some it might not have seemed like a big deal, but it was. Without wolves preying on the elk, the elk population grew. More elk meant more feeding on the parks vegetation. As that vegetation disappeared it had a negative effect on other creatures that call the park home. Basically the loss of wolves had a negative snowball effect on MANY other creatures as well as vegetation.
Once the wolves were reintroduced back into the environment, things started to get back to normal, thankfully.
This whole situation is a very valuable lesson about the fragility of our ecosystem and how the loss of just one creature can have rippling effects both near and far.
The book is written in a beautiful, lyrical style. It’s not only easy for children to understand, but also a great book on teaching children about ecosystems. Kids will learn an important life lesson without the book coming off as being a text book.
The illustrations are gorgeous. I LOVE the style of the artwork.
To make it more of a point about missing creatures in the park, some of the illustrations are left blank (just an outline). It helps emphasis the sense of loss and something missing. You can see an example in the cover art pictured above.
Written in a lyrical style, Why Wolves Matter is an ecological tale that helps children to understand the interconnectedness of all things in the natural world. Once all the wolves were gone, the elk population grew so large that the trees and vegetation on which they fed disappeared, throwing the Park and the remaining wildlife into disarray.
Why Wolves Matter is about the importance of the top predator in nature, how balance was restored in Yellowstone National Park, and the circle made whole again—with important historical and scientific relevance for children.
I hope this book helps to bring light to conservation efforts for not only wolves, but other creatures. I also hope that this book helps children have more respect and appreciation for the creatures we share our planet with.
This book is available at many retail locations including Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other retailers.
Kimberly
*I received a free copy of this book in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The options expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.
