A Wolf Called Wander
by Rosanne Parry
Informational Resources:
Author Information:
Rosanne Parry’s website:
About Rosanne Parry:
http://rosanneparry.com/10-things-to-know-about-me/
Illustrator Information:
Mónica Armiño’s website:
Activities & Resources:
Activities:
Educators’ Guide (from HarperCollins):
About the Animals in the Book:
Facts About Wolves:
https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/gray-wolf/
Read About a Wolf Rescue Sanctuary in Texas:
https://saintfranciswolfsanctuary.org/
Facts About Ravens:
http://naturemappingfoundation.org/natmap/facts/common_raven_k6.html
About OR-7, the wolf that inspired the book:
OR-7’s story:
https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Mammals/Gray-Wolf/OR7-Story
Trace OR-7’s journey:
https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=42104&inline=true
NBC News Report on OR-7 (2:13):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mL_5k6U3n04
Art Activities:
How to Make an Origami Paper Wolf video (2:56):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nqBgFialAs
Wolf Silhouette Art:
https://craftulate.com/wolf-art-kids
MakerSpace Activities:
Swift’s tracking collar eventually ran out of batteries. Design a collar that uses something other than batteries.
Use straws, wooden sticks, toothpicks, and other materials to design a fence or pen to keep livestock safe from wolves.
Design a path, bridge, or tunnel for wolves to cross roads safely.
Use Google Maps to plot OR-7’s journey: https://www.google.com/maps Use http://or7expedition.org/wolf-or7-story-map/ or use the map on pages 218-219 in the book as a guide.
Discussion Questions:
Have you ever been lost? How did you react?
Why do you think the author chose to tell the story from a wolf’s point of view?
How do the illustrations enhance the story?
In what ways do Swift and his brothers and sisters act like human siblings? How are they different?
How does the conversation between Swift and Warm on pages 35 and 36 foreshadow what happens next?
Why do you think the other wolf pack attacks Swift’s pack?
What does Swift mean by “I can light a path for Warm to find me?” (p. 50)
Why is Swift so desperate to find another wolf?
What is the message of the story about the eagle and raven on page 73? How does it relate to Swift’s story?
What does Swift’s mother mean when she says that men can “kill with a look and a loud noise?” (p. 77)
What do you think happens to Warm after the men come after him and Swift?
What are “lightning” and “noisemakers?” Why does Swift call them that?
Swift comes across a dog in his travels. Why is Swift so confused by the dog’s behavior?
What happened to the deer that Swift finds (p. 121-124)? What clues let you know what happened?
Swift says “There is more water than I can drink, yet I have never felt so empty.” (p.141) What does he mean?
How is the horse herd similar to Swift’s wolf pack? How are they different?
Why doesn’t Night lower her tail or look away from Swift (now called Wander)?
What do you think happens after Night has pups? How would you continue the story?
Read “The Real Wolf Behind the Story” section. What similarities do you notice between OR-7 and Swift/ Wander?
Book Talk Teasers:
Read the Readers Theater for A Wolf Called Wander.
Show the book trailer on the Texas Bluebonnet Award YouTube channel.
Read Alikes:
Animal Survival
Bauer, Marion Dane. A Bear Named Trouble. In Anchorage, Alaska, two lonely boys make a connection--a brown bear injured just after his mother sends him out on his own, and a human whose father is a new keeper at the Alaska Zoo and whose mother and sister are still in Minnesota. (NoveList Plus)
Howe, Peter. Waggit’s Tale. When Waggit is abandoned by his owner as a puppy, he meets a pack of wild dogs who become his friends and teach him to survive in the city park, but when he has a chance to go home with a kind woman who wants to adopt him, he takes it. (NoveList Plus)
Martin, Ann M. A Dog’s Story: The Autobiography of a Stray. Squirrel, a stray puppy, tells her life story, from her nurturing mother and brother to making her own way in the world, facing busy highways, changing seasons, and humans both gentle and brutal. (NoveList Plus)
Pennypacker, Sara. Pax. When his father enlists in the military and makes him return his beloved pet fox to the wild, Peter, who has been sent to live with his grandfather hundreds of miles away, embarks on a journey filled with astonishing discoveries in order to be reunited with his fox. (NoveList Plus)
Based on Actual Events
Foreman, Michael. The Tortoise and the Soldier: Based on True Events. As a boy, Henry Friston dreamed of traveling the world. He thought he was signing up for a lifetime of adventure when he joined the Royal Navy. But when World War I begins, it launches the world, and Henry, into turmoil. While facing enemy fire at Gallipoli, Henry discovers the strength he needs to survive in an unexpected source: a tortoise. And so begins the friendship of a lifetime. Based on true events, and with charming illustrations, this story of war, courage, and friendship will win the hearts of readers. (NoveList Plus)
Mattick, Lindsay. Winnie’s Great War. Lieutenant Harry Colebourn finds a bear he names Winnie. He decides she will be the mascot for the Second Canadian Infantry Brigade and takes her with them across the ocean to where the Great War rages. (NoveList Plus)
Myers, Laurie. Lewis and Clark and Me: A Dog’s Tale. Seaman, Meriwether Lewis's Newfoundland dog, describes Lewis and Clark's expedition, which he accompanied from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean. (NoveList Plus)
Myron, Vicki. Dewey the Library Cat: A True Story. Follows the development of an endearing kitten abandoned in an Iowa library drop-box into an affable library mascot who made many friendships with the library staff and patrons of all ages. (NoveList Plus)
Wolves
Avi. Old Wolf. A wolf teams up with a remarkable raven to survive a period of winter privation in the Colorado Mountains, where they cross paths with a 13-year-old computer gamer. (NoveList Plus)
Kline, Lisa Williams. Summer of the Wolves. While vacationing on a horse ranch in North Carolina, stepsisters Stephanie and Diana put aside their differences to help free a pair of caged wolves. (NoveList Plus)