One of a number of picture-book stories intended to highlight various ecosystems that Audrey Fraggalosch has written - others include Great Grizzly Wilderness: A Story of the Pacific Rain Forest and Land of the Wild Llama: A Story of the Patagonian Andes - Northern Refuge sets out the tale of newborn Moose Calf, and his first year of life in Canada's boreal forest. From the time when his legs are still unsteady, and his mother hides him in clumps of willows, through the summer months of feeding on browse (twigs and leaves from trees), and the lean winter months of subsisting on bark, and running from wolves, the events of Moose Calf's year demonstrate how interconnected the lives of a given habitat's creatures (in this case, that of the northern boreal forest) truly are.

The only copy of this title owned by my library system is the one which includes the audio tape, so I read Fraggalosch's text, and looked at Crista Forest's illustrations, while also listening to the narration of Randye Kaye. I found all three solidly engaging, and think that Northern Refuge would be an excellent title for primary school teachers to use, in a habitat study unit. That said, because it focuses primarily on one species, the moose, I don't know if it is the best introduction to the habitat in question, so I would recommend using it with a title like Life in the Boreal Forest. ( )