Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-7-This creative blend of fiction and nonfiction tells the story of a coyote, from cradle to grave. It starts when she separates from her mother and littermates and makes a 500-mile journey over harsh terrain from Canada to Maine. The book is narrated in the third person, and readers are privy to commentary on what Coyote is thinking and feeling as she encounters one challenge after another. The author's background as a conservation biologist comes through; Coyote's circumstances and behavior are authentic. For example, Vistein conjures up an image of the playful and agile dance of a coyote hunting mice in the field, and then she carefully explains the importance of coyotes keeping the mouse population in balance. This is a simple yet intricate case study, rather than more conventional animal fiction. Readers will come away with a genuine appreciation for these creatures and their role in nature. VERDICT This unique addition will serve students who are fascinated by wildlife and truly interested in understanding how ecosystems work.-Amy Thurow, New Glarus School District, WI © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Coyote leaves her parents territory to find a mate and establish her own life. Although the prologue claims that the book is as realistic as possible and back matter offers context, there is a rose-colored lens on this depiction of animal interaction and communication that stretches credibility. Readers with an interest in coyotes might enjoy this, but the stilted writing will dissuade others. Reading list. (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
An imaginative re-creation of the life of one of the first coyotes to inhabit Maine. In the late 1960s, coyotes from Canada began to migrate eastward, expanding their range. Vistein, a carnivore biologist, tells the story of one of these early migrants from the coyote's point of view and asks readers to consider coyotes as "intelligent, sentient beings" able to experience "fear, joy, affection, loss, grief, puzzlement, and acceptance but never anger." Vistein's writing is impassioned and poetic as she tells of the female Coyote who travels eastfacing danger from traps, traffic, guns, and dogsto finally find a refuge in Baxter State Park. At times Vistein's prose hits the purple end of the spectrum, and her words occasionally repeat themselves, but her sincerity in relating the beauty and cyclic nature of the natural world, and the vibrancy of those who inhabit it, is convincing. When Coyote finds a trapped coyote, she helps him to free himself (he chews off his paw). They become mates and, as seasons and years pass, raise four litters of pups. Readers learn about the complex social structure of coyotes (previous years' siblings help out) and that life as a wild creature is often tragicthough Vistein balances the harshness of death with a wider, natural-order-of-things perspective. A sensitive, passionate story told from an intriguing point of view. (author's note, further reading) (Fiction. 10-14) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
