Sometimes I come across a book that's just so perfect I absolutely have to have it for the library and Lone Wolf is that book.
Maple, an adorable husky with a fine, fluffy black tail, perky ears, and a friendly smile, is happy living with the Parkers, a white family. Jax plays with her, Avery (in a motorized wheelchair) reads to her, Mom and Dad give her treats and take her on walks.
But. When the people on their walks keep asking if she's a wolf, she gets worried. Even though the Parkers explain that she's not a wolf, she's a husky, she starts wondering if maybe... she is a wolf. After all, she looks like a wolf... and she can do lots of wolfy things. If she's really a wolf, shouldn't she be living in the wild? So she runs away to the forest.
However, it's nothing like home! No soft flower beds to dig in, no flip-flops to hunt, no one to play with, and no one to come when she howls. She finds her way back home and there she finally discovers her pack - and realizes that even though some people may think she looks like a wolf, she's part of the Parker family pack and that's right where she belongs.
I love that the author includes Avery in her wheelchair (Kurpiel herself uses a power wheelchair) and shows her as much part of Maple's pack as any other family member. And Maple herself, well, she's just so adorable! Anyone who's ever met a husky knows they have a LOT of personality and definite ideas and I can just see her thinking things through and finally realizing that, no matter what she looks like, home is with her family.
Verdict: A sweet, satisfying book with a nice note of inclusion - all libraries will want this for dog storytimes and just for fun! A must-have choice and a marvelous debut book - I can't wait to see more from this author!
ISBN: 9780062943828; Published May 2020 by Greenwillow; Purchased for the library
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