Amazon Category:  Children Publisher: Simon & Schuster ISBN-10:  0689802188 Type: Fiction Pages: 32 Copyright: Oct 1 1997 In this picture book, readers follow the first days in the lives of four wolf pups. A few days after being born, the pups emerge from their den to meet their extended family and explore their wild surroundings. But the forest is a dangerous place for wolf pups, and they still need their father to protect them. Children's Literature Review: In tight, compelling prose, Winters tells the story of four young pups born into a pack of wolves who raise, teach, and protect them. Watching from afar, an eagle waits for the right moment to snatch a wolf pup. The eagle sees its chance when one pup wanders off alone, but it's thwarted by the father who chases him off. Regan's oil paintings richly portray the wolves in their natural habitat. Realistic and beautiful, this book provides a unique and touching view of the early lives of wolves. Reviewed by Alexandria LaFaye. Excerpt Down in the den Close to their mother, Eyes shut tight, Pups suckle and sleep. Riding on wind Eagle, wings wide, Circles the hillside Eyeing the pack.

From School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 2--For those budding young naturalists who relish information on wild animals, here is a treasure of a book. In short, carefully worded, poetic quatrains, Winters accurately follows four wolf pups from the night of their birth through their first outing from the den. She introduces the habits of the pack: howling at the pups' birth; hunting and delivering food to mother and babies; gathering to welcome the newest family members on their first venture out. She also presents the enemy--a golden eagle--that, sensing the birth, waits for a chance to prey upon one of the defenseless pups. Regan's realistic oil paintings perfectly capture the animals' actions and bring their world to life. Scenes of mother wolf and her pups in the birth cave on left-hand pages face glimpses of the outside environment. When the young ones leave the cave, the illustrator switches to double-page spreads, allowing the sequence of the eagle's attack to play itself out dramatically. Several portraits of the mother and her babies and one of the eagle are exquisitely detailed. The play of light and shadow created by the deft blending of myriad shades of brown and gray results in a sense of depth, of wide expanse, of textured fur and rock-strewn hills. There is a lot of information to be gleaned from this sparely written visual masterpiece.--Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH

From Tim Whitney - Children's Literature
The seven wolves watching on the hilltop await the birth of four wolf pups. The pups spend their first few days with their mother in the warm, dark den before venturing out into the world. The world of the forest holds adventure and hidden dangers, one of which brings the story to a dramatic climax. The story is told in simple verse with four lines per page, but the magnificent illustrations that capture the beauty of the wolves and their environment will keep readers young and old turning the pages.

From Kirkus
A brief, poetic picture-book celebration of the wolves in the wilderness and the birth and growth of four wolf pups. Muted brown and gray oil paintings show the events near the den (the pack howls) and above it--an eagle hunts. ``Down in the den/Deep in the dark,/One-two-three-four/Pups are born.'' Soon the pups, eyes open, stumble and tumble out of the den to play, and the eagle waits, until a wolf pup wanders after a cricket. Only the timely intervention of the father wolf prevents tragedy. The paintings capture the dignity of the animals, portray aspects of wolf behavior, and depict the rugged habitat in which they live. Especially effective is a spread of ghostlike wolves against grey rocks, as they ``weave like shadows,/Stalking a deer.'' A splendid complement to titles with a more fact-based approach to wolf life.