Bringing back the wolves

This illustrated nonfiction book for young readers tells how gray wolves vanished from Yellowstone National Park and what happened when they returned. In the 1800s, the American government paid hunters to remove predators that threatened livestock on cattle ranches near the park. The hunters were so effective that by 1926 no gray wolf packs remained in Yellowstone.

Over the following decades, the loss spread through the whole ecosystem. The effects reached the wolves' prey, the plants those animals ate, and the streams those plants had sheltered, and the landscape suffered. In 1995 the government began reintroducing gray wolves in an effort to reverse the damage. Over time animal populations steadied, waterways recovered and a healthy ecosystem took shape again.

Jude Isabella's text is thoroughly researched and reviewed by experts, and Kim Smith's nature art illustrates it. Through this real-life example, readers learn about biodiversity, ecosystems, food chains, habitats, the needs of living things and the role people play in caring for the environment. The topics connect directly to earth and life science curriculums.

Food web infographics reinforce the information, and a glossary and index make the book easier to use.