Stunning photos and clear, fascinating prose with well-placed sidebars, and captions that reiterate and support the text. I learned much of wolves, including particulars on the packs of the Great Bear Rainforest. The wolf packs' territories are so strong that a pack will stop chasing prey if it crosses the boundary of another pack. I also didn't know how tied they are to salmon as a food source, especially the wolves that lives on islands or the coast. Yes, they eat a wide variety of foods, including deer, otters, rodents, seafood, but salmon are critical during the fall runs. The Great Basin Rainforest is a unique area as there is very little temperate rainforest remaining in the world, but receives little protection. Clear cutting is still prominent, and the wolves are not protected from hunting or killing. The author and photographer hope they're work will encourage people to fight for the GBR and all its life: "So as you can now see, wolves - and particularly coastal wolves - aren't big and bad in the way so many stories say. If we don't take real steps to safeguard them and the great green forest in which they roam, the only places where they'll remain will be in stories and books - like this one." Includes maps, and backmatter with resources. ( )

When I read Ian McAllister's Salmon Bears about the amazing bears in the Great Bear Rainforest on the Northwestern coast, I was completely fascinated. I don't know why I never got around to reviewing that title, but believe me it is amazing. A beautifully written look into an entire habitat I had no idea existed. Completely...fascinating.

So, I was excited to see that McAllister has written a second book on another unique habitant of the Grea Bear Rainforest; the coastal wolves that share the forest with the bears. McAllister introduces us to these wolves by way of a brief history of the wolf and its poor treatment in history and wildlife management. Then we plunge right into the amazing lives of these wolves. They fish, swim, live on islands, and inhabit a beautiful and harsh landscape gorgeously caught by McAllister's photographs.

The story of the wolves is roughly arranged into seasons, showing how they live and survive in spring, summer, fall, and winter. The final two chapters talk about the threats the coastal wolves - and the Great Bear Rainforest - face from many sources, especially logging and oil. McAllister's passion and fascination with his subject is clear and he includes links to the various informational sources and support groups for the rainforest, many of which he is involved in or has created. For younger children, I would want a more balanced approach to the complicated issues facing the rainforest and the people and animals who live there, but this book is aimed at a middle grade to adult audience, which I would expect to recognize McAllister's passion for his subject and be capable of exploring the subject further for additional viewpoints.

Verdict: Animal fact books are often considered the domain of younger readers, but this book and Salmon Bears are two volumes that will grab the interest of tweens and teens still interested in animals and now wanting something with a little more depth and detail. Recommended.
ISBN: 9781554692064; Published October 1, 2010; Borrowed from my library system.