An utterly heart-wrenching tale and a true story to boot, this empathetic re-telling of The Wolves Of Currumpaw by William Grill ultimately highlights man’s love for animals in the most touching story.
Set in the days of the old wild west and to the backdrop of the open plains of New Mexico, this remarkable story follows a notorious pack of wolves and a hunter who set out to entrap the leader.
Award-winning William Grill clearly has an empathy and affinity with his books, which exudes with each turn of the page and this is another shining example.
His detailed illustrations shift between sprawling three-colour, double page spreads to a series of colour thumbnails and mix of everything in between.
The change in illustrative formats provides an unusual and engaging element to this read and supports the narrative impeccably.
Using warm, earthy tones, Grill captures the essence of the wild west and portrays the immense open spaces to perfection.
As we follow this unfurling story out in the vast plains, Old Lobo heads up a wily pack of wolves, but due to the arrival of European settlers, their days were numbered and a bounty is placed on the head of Old Lobo.
Seton heads from New York to hunt the illusive wolf. He gets to know their territory, learns how they hunt, what they eat and what they don’t.
Several failed attempts later, Seton eventually entraps the wolf, but the outcome is not what we would expect, hence the formation of wildlife conservation societies across America.
A truly emotive read and one which will pull on even the toughest heart’s strings. This offers another dimension as we take a trip into history and an enlightening story to share with children and adults everywhere.
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