The Wolves of Currumpaw

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

The Wolves of Currumpaw is a beautifully illustrated modern re-telling of Ernest Thompson Seton's epic wilderness drama Lobo, the King of Currumpaw, originally published in 1898. Set in the dying days of the old west, Seton's drama unfolds in the vast planes of New Mexico, at a time when man's relationship with nature was often marked by exploitations and misunderstanding. This is the first graphic adaptation of a massively influential piece of writing by one of the men who went on to form the Boy Scouts of America.

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Publishers Weekly Review

Greenaway Medal-winner Grill (Shackleton's Journey) leaves the Antarctic for the New Mexico desert of the 1890s in a haunting retelling of Ernest Thompson Seton's short story his attempt to capture Lobo, "a giant among wolves," whose pack had been terrorizing settlers in the Currumpaw valley for years. After many skilled hunters failed to kill the gray wolf, Seton arrived from New York City to try his hand, discovering more about Lobo than the previous men, including that the wolves were killing the ranchers' cattle out of necessity. He eventually secured Lobo after capturing and killing his mate, Blanca, an act that, along with Lobo's subsequent death, led Seton to devote "the rest of his life to protecting the wolf species." Alternating among small vignettes, sequential panels, and sweeping spreads of desert vistas and expansive skies, Grill's rough-hewn pencil artwork amplifies Seton's internal turmoil and the grim skirmishes between man and wolf through a limited palette of rust red, drab blue, taupe, and charcoal. It's a powerful, cinematic work of naturalistic fiction that deftly outlines the importance of respecting nature. Ages 7-14. (July) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Booklist Review

As settlers expanded into the western plains of the U.S., their presence wreaked havoc on the many tribes of American Indians already living there, as well as the region's wildlife. Grill, inspired by Ernest Thompson Seton's short story Lobo: The King of Currumpaw, relates the story of Seton's hunt and eventual capture of the infamous wolf Lobo in succinct, typewritten sentences and expressionistic colored-pencil illustrations. Summoned by ranchers to Colorado for his renowned hunting skills, Seton brings an armory of tools and sets out to track the wily wolf. But in his hunt, he comes to respect Lobo, even mourning his death, and eventually becomes a major proponent of wildlife conservation. Grill's artwork alternates between tiny, snapshot-like illustrations aligned in grids and vast, sweeping, beautiful desert landscapes bleeding to the edges of oversize, double-page spreads. The ranchers' minuscule, individual actions look inconsequential in such a small scale, but amassed together, Grill seems to suggest in his art, they have massive impact. An artful, thought-provoking adaptation sure to inspire budding conservationists.--Hunter, Sarah Copyright 2016 Booklist