A Wolf Called Fire: Voice of the Wilderness, Book 4

Parents need to know that A Wolf Called Fire is the fourth book in Rosanne Parry’s Voice of the Wilderness series, fictionalized tales seen from the viewpoint of real-life wild animals, accompanied by lots of info and pictures about the animals, their lives, and their homes. Here, the title character is based on a Wyoming wolf who became an unlikely pack leader and passed his supportive, teamwork-based management style to his descendants. Young Warm’s brothers and sisters are all bigger, faster, or more clever than he is, but his loving dad dubs him the heart of the pack, and a wise mentor teaches him to seek “a better way” of cooperation instead of force. While often scared, overwhelmed, and alone as he tries to protect his young siblings, he never gives up, teaches what he knows, and inspires others. Reflecting the realities of the natural world, there’s a lot of everyday death and violence that sensitive kids may find upsetting. Wolves are predators, and there are many scenes of stalking and killing prey, especially young elk, with detail about how to inflict fatal bites. Warm’s family members are killed defending their pack, leaving him and four young puppies to fend for themselves.