This Issue:

Table of Contents

Cover Story

Cover Story - Spanish Version

Mini-Lesson

Comprehension Quiz

Teacher's Guide and Worksheets

Welcome Back, Pack

Wolves are known for the haunting way they howl at the moon. But to communicate with their families, they rely more on whimpers and smiles. They greet new friends by looking them right in the eye. Author Jean Craighead George got that kind of welcome in 1970, when she went to Alaska to study captive wolves. A trusting female looked her in the eye and grinned. "I knew then," she recalls, "I wanted to write a book."

She soon spun the award-winning tale of a lost Eskimo girl who is helped by wolves. Julie of the Wolves was followed by the sequel Julie two years ago. Now, on the 25th anniversary of Julie's first appearance, George has written Julie's Wolf Pack, a realistic peek into the wolves' den and daily life.

George has spent hundreds of hours watching wild and captive wolves, so she knows wolf talk. "Rank is the main thing they discuss," she says. "Once they establish their strong leader, peace descends." But in George's new book, the pack's peace is shaken up by a bully wolf named Raw Bones. He gets jealous when young Kapu becomes the pack's alpha, or leader.

Does that kind of rivalry sound familiar? "Man, beast and bird are closer than we think," says George, who also studies bears at Yellowstone National Park and has shared her Chappaqua, New York, home with owls, snakes and raccoons. Her works, such as The Tarantula in My Purse and My Side of the Mountain, poke fun at pets' personalities and explore the power of nature.

What animal would Jean Craighead George be, if not a human? "I hope I would be a raven. Ravens live in beautiful country, are intelligent, fun and share history with the Eskimo," she says. "I think I'd like to fly."

Next: Top 5 Highest Temperatures