One Wolf Howls has received the following awards:
One Wolf Howls was selected for:
- the Kansas National Education Association Reading Circle catalog of recommended books
- the National Environmental Education Foundation's "Green Reading List"
by Keith Schoch
"In a recent picture book workshop at the New Jersey Education Association Annual Convention in Atlantic City, I shared with participants some full page spreads from One Wolf Howls, a gorgeous picture book from Sylvan Dell. The audience had to laugh at itself after responding with "ooos" and "ahhhs" like a classroom of kindergartners. But that's exactly the reaction this book often receives..."
"One Wolf Howls is a beautiful book, and the format in which you include wolves and the months of the year is cleverly done and provides a wonderful teaching tool for children. Every young reader will learn to appreciate these charismatic animals. This book should be in every school library and indeed in every young student's classroom. Congratulations!"
~ Helen Thayer, named "One of the Great Explorers of the 20th Century" by National Geographic; author of
Three Among the Wolves: A Year of Friendship with Wolves in the Wild
Ricky's impression of wolves was largely based on the mean wolves who served the Ice Queen in the Chronicles of Narnia movie and the mysterious pack of wolves in the Polar Express. When we read this book he is able to view them as animals who have a family, who hunt for food, and take care of their pups.
In addition to the nature element, the book has reinforced the months of the year - along with the corresponding seasons and the weather those months bring. Scotti Cohn's writing is appropriate and engaging for preschoolers and very enjoyable to read aloud for parents. The illustrations are picturesque and look very life-like. I feel that this age group has too many books that are cartoon-like already - and they are old enough to start looking at more accurate and life-like pictures. In other words, it's good to mix it up!!
There is a surprise at the end of the book for readers - a matching activity, fun facts, life cycle, and a calendar activity. There is also a page that discusses hunting and endangered wolves.
I highly recommend this book for preschoolers. It goes beyond your ordinary numbers book and tricks your child into learning months and seasons. Since I'm committed to looking into more educational materials for my kids, I've chosen this as my very first review for the new year.
One Wolf Howls, and you meet the pack in this charming story which comes to you as an e-book, hard or soft cover book. The 32 pages are divided into the story and the creative mind sections with strikingly beautiful paintings of wolves.
Scotti Cohn tells the story of the wolf pack through the months of the year, as Susan Detwiler illustrates each seasonal view of the wolves in their naturally changing habitat. The combination of flowing verse with stunning pictures will bring children back to this book over and over again.
The “Creative Mind” portion includes a fun matching activity that shows a variety of communications wolves use to “talk” with each other and with people. Surely, everyone understands when a wolf shows his teeth and growls that he is angry and wants to be left alone. But what does it mean when ears are up, or tail is down?
Other interesting wolf information includes the wolf life cycle and hunting, with calendar activity and fun facts. Wolves are an endangered species because they were over hunted. This was a mistake because the wolf plays an important part in the balance of nature. As scientists learn more about the great design, we find that these wonderful wolves are an example of survival in the face of great odds.
One Wolf Howls has quickly become one of my and my children’s favorite books. In our elementary curriculum notation this books fits with science, nature studies, animal studies, math, art, and reading.(Reviewed by: Kate O'Mara)
"With One Wolf Howls, younger readers, in addition to learning the months of the year, can practice the numbers from 1 to 12 by counting the "correct" number of wolves that are to be found in the spreads’ illustrations. September will offer a special counting challenge as the wolves’ locations are partly masked by the autumn leaves. Older readers might wish to focus on the "hard" wolf facts contained within "For Creative Minds." Teachers could utilize the poems’ pattern as a template and have their students’ create poetry focused on other woodland animals.
Highly Recommended."~ Dave Jenkinson
CM, Volume XVI Number 2, September 11, 2009 Published by The Manitoba Library Association
CM, Volume XVI Number 2, September 11, 2009 Published by The Manitoba Library Association
by Megan Bostic
Sock Puppet Productions
Realistic art shows their movements, both active and sedentary. Young listeners will be able to complete rhyming sentences as the book is read and understand the use of alliteration. Useful for counting, as well as learning about the animals, seasons of the year, and poetry, this book may be enjoyed by beginning readers as well as researchers. “Wolf Fun Facts,” “Wolf Life Cycle,” “Wolf Calendar Activity,” information about hunting and endangered wolves, and a Web site with reproducible activities are included."
~ Nancy Baumann, Indian Paintbrush Elementary, Laramie, WY
~ Evelyn Saenz, retired teacher and homeschooling mom
www.squidoo.com/graywolves
One Wolf Howls is a gorgeous, rhyming picturebook that introduces young readers to the majesty of wolves in their natural environment. Though told in the style of a counting rhyme, One Wolf Howls is first and foremost about wolves - author Scotti Cohn consulted with the staff at the Wolf Park and the International Wolf Sanctuary as well as Gina Schrader, Conservation Associate at Defenders of Wildlife, to ensure that all the information presented about wolves is completely accurate. The captivating, realistic color illustrations of a mother wolf and her pups by Susan Detwiler add the perfect touch to this enthralling and highly recommended gift to young fans of these amazing animals. "Six wolves nap in a warm June meadow - / snuffling, snorting, lost in their dreams. / Six wolves nap in a warm June meadow / deep in the woods by the bubbling streams."
In this counting/calendar book dedicated to dogs’ distant cousins, debut picture book author Cohn along with Detwiler (The First Teddy Bear) concentrate on personality and ambience, reserving facts and insights for a closing instructional guide.
Cohn makes use of rhyming couplets, with a structured, repeating form that emphasizes the progressing months and increasing numbers. In February, two wolves enjoy a snowy frolic “deep in the woods where the harsh winds blow”; May brings the birth of five “fuzzy pups, funny pups” who “sniff and stare”; and September finds a pack of nine putting their natural camouflage to use among the brilliant foliage (and giving readers an opportunity to pick them out).
Detwiler invokes just the right amount of romanticism: her wolves tussle in the purple rays of a frigid sunrise and dance, silhouetted, in the falling shadows of twilight—but they’re always unmistakably wild. Readers should be captivated by the animals’ resilient joie de vivre as well as by their habitats’ seasonal glories. The educational guide offers wolf facts, activities and details about their life cycle.
"What a wealth of information in One Wolf Howls! It includes counting, the months and seasons, and a treasure trove of information about wolves, all presented in the kind of lyrical language that will make reading aloud a pleasure."
~ Marion Dane Bauer, Newbery-Award-winning author of Runt
One way to value a book is by how many things it can do all at the same time. By that scale, One Wolf Howlsby Scotti Cohn is a huge success. This animal counting book uses rhymes and lush illustrations by Susan Detwiler to teach children how to count and children and parents about the biology and lifecycle of the gray wolf. Cohn gets her science right and makes it fun and interesting for readers. The “For Creative Minds” section in the back of the book includes more science information and activities that parents and children can do together to learn even more about wolves.
Young Adult (& Kids) Book Central (April 2009)
Booklist
Wild About Nature Writers (March 2009)
Writing for Children (April 2009)
~ Judith Nasse, Creativity Coach, artist, and writer
~ Marion Dane Bauer, Newbery-Award-winning author of Runt
There is so much going on in One Wolf Howls, from counting the wolves in each picture to figuring out what the wolves are doing at a particular time of year, that it is easy to see why children would want to read it again and again. In a world where nonfiction children’s books are often dry and boring, Cohn’s One Wolf Howls is both enchanting and educational.
Review by Kevin Strauss, M.S. Ed., Editor
Northlands Storytelling Journal
Northlands Storytelling Journal
What do you know about wolves? Most people would recognize them and understand that they are relatives of the domesticated dog, but there are many aspects in which the wolf remains a mysterious creature. Scotti Cohn's gentle poetic text tells how one wolf howls in the January moonlight, two wolves play in a February snowfall, three wolves bark on a brisk March morning, and so on. Can you guess how many wolves sing a December chorus?
The luscious, full-color drawings by Susan Detwiler which accompany are a feast for the eyes. One thing that makes Sylvan Dell books so great is that they are aligned to state standards in math and science. Thus, they are not only fun and enjoyable to read, but also educational at the same time.
The "For Creative Minds" educational section at the end of the book, which may be photocopied or printed from Sylvan Dell's website by the owner of the book for educational, non-commercial uses, includes a Wolf Communications Matching Activity, Fun Facts about wolves and their life cycle, a Wolf Calendar Activity, and information about hunting and endangered wolves. Besides the knowledge concerning wolves, additional benefits for very young children in having this book read to them are counting from one to ten and becoming familiar with the months of the year.
Cross-curricular "Teaching activities," interactive quizzes, and much more are available online at the Sylvan Dell website. One Wolf Howls will delight all youngsters, especially those who like to learn about nature.
~ review by Wayne S. Walker
This joyful picture book will delight young nature lovers! If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to be a wolf—where you'd sleep and what you'd do during the cold winter—this book will captivate and enchant you. Every page depicts a fresh view of a truly fascinating animal, with gorgeous illustrations and lovely little poems about their lives “deep in the woods”. In rhyming text, author Scotti Cohn takes you through a year in the lives of wolves, from January through December, using the numbers 1 through 12 as one wolf howls, two wolves play, three wolves bark, four wolves hunt, and so on through the months of the year. As a book to read aloud, parents will appreciate the romping rhymes, accurate knowledge, and artistic splendor.
Beautifully illustrated by Susan Detwiler, this realistic picture book is a magical frolic through the snow, rain, grasses, and forests of the world of wolves. Depicted in their natural settings, the wolves are majestic but unmistakably wild animals. The facts about their behavior and the information in the book were verified by the staff at Wolf Park in Battle Ground, Indiana, and the International Wolf Sanctuary. There is an educational section at the back of the book full of fun facts, vocabulary, crafts, and activities to enhance the book’s opportunities for learning. English and Spanish audio readings are available online for free at the website for Sylvan Dell Publishing.
Children will be entranced by this colorful book of howling, frolicking, dancing wolves!
~ review by Wanda Johnson
Arranged as a counting book that begins with a single wolf in January and adds one more for each month of the year, this nonfiction picture book presents verse and paintings set in a forest. On each double-page spread, a rhymed quatrain indicates the month of the year, the number of wolves, and what they are doing, while a vivid, realistic painting illustrates the weather as well as the place and the wolves’ activities. Using lighting and seasonal cues skillfully, Detwiler achieves more variety than might be expected. The concept of adding one wolf each month doesn’t create a believable narrative thread, but there’s plenty to engage children in the individual scenes of woods and wolves. An appended section offers two illustrated activities as well as information about the life cycle, hunting behavior, and endangered status of wolves.
~ Carolyn Phelan
Children's Literature Comprehensive Database (March 2009)
Crack open this book for an engrossing wolf adventure that spans an entire year. Poetic language flows as smoothly as a musical rendition. Text strengthens counting concepts and reinforces names of months by revealing what one wolf does in January, what two wolves do in February, and so on until December. The third line of every four line stanza repeats what the first line says, thereby making this a book that youngsters will want to “help” read after hearing it a few times. This entertaining and educational book invites readers to listen to the story and learn about the habitat of wolves, their life cycle, what they do, and their ability to work in packs.
Bright, realistic illustrations hold detail and successfully show the movement of these fascinating creatures. End activities allow readers to look at the body language of a wolf to understand how it communicates, learn fun facts, learn about the life cycle, and learn information about how wolves hunt and how wolves are endangered. It also contains a calendar activity to help students understand seasons. According to the publisher, the target age for this book is 4 to 7. However, older students could enjoy it, too, and would especially like the end activities. ~ Nancy Attebury
Armchair Interviews (February 2009)
My almost four-year-old grandson and I read One Wolf Howls over and over. He didn’t seem to tire of the book. He literally howled with the wolves as we read the text in rhyme. The author uses numbers (from 1 to 12) and the twelve months to introduce children to wolves and the behavior of these animals in their natural setting. We learn what it would be like to be a wolf in the winter, where we would sleep and eat, and all of the other “wolf things” a child would want to know.
The illustrations are life-like and will draw the children into the story. I wanted to touch the pages, while my grandson insisted on holding the book and howling with the wolves. This book will be on his shelf for a long time to come. This book is complete with Wolf Fun Facts, Communications Matching activity and Wolf Life Cycle Matching Activities for the older kids.
Armchair Interviews says: Sylvan Dell hits a home run with another special book for kids.
This is a book by Scotti Cohn, published by Sylvan Dell Publishing. I am only just discovering these books, but I am loving them. Science and Math through literature! One Wolf Howls is a story book in rhyme that teaches about the months of the year, as well as the behavior of wolves in the wild. The kids were entranced throughout, and the illustrations are magnificent.
Best part is the five back pages that are for the parent: activity ideas, more information about the subject, teaching tips - also available on their website. Like for this one there are discussion questions, vocabulary activities, a wolf madlibs, word search, quizzes, calendar pages, and coloring pages.
The rhythm of Scotti Cohn’s text transports readers into the world of wolves. In perfect time, we sing, dance, track, hunt and play alongside our wolf friends. We get to observe their varied habitats, rituals and behaviors. And if that were not enough, we also get to count to twelve and learn about our months and seasons.
Detwiler’s illustrations are magical. My favorite spread shows a pack of wolf shadows dancing in and around a lake. Her wolves are stunning, yet unmistakably wild. The words and pictures intertwine beautifully and seamlessly throughout the entire book.
One Wolf Howls is a book that can be used and enjoyed across the curriculum. It would be a lovely addition to any home, classroom or library bookshelf. ~ Kimberly Hutmacher
If one wolf howls in the January moonlight, what do two wolves do, or three or four? Young readers will find out in this delightful, informative picture book from children’s author Scotti Cohn.
Using rhyming text that children will love, Cohn takes readers on a one-year journey - from month to month - into the world of the wolf.
Beautifully detailed, realistic illustrations by Susan Detwiler bring the text to life, making it fun for children to count the wolves among the seasonal backgrounds and foregrounds that show wolves in natural settings.
As with all books published by Sylvan Dell Publishers, the book includes a “For Creative Minds” educational section with activities and fun facts. Additional teaching activities including coloring pages, before and after reading questions, and interactive quizzes are available at www.SylvanDellPublishing.com.
One Wolf Howls is perfect for the home or school library. Children will want to read the book over and over again. Teachers and parents will love the many interesting and challenging ways the book can be used to teach a variety of math and science content.
"We are fascinated with wolves, as they have been both a traditional source of fear and, in more recent times, an endangered species that we have been able to view up close in documentaries. This picture book is another compelling up close look at wolf nature. It is also a counting book that depicts wolves through each month of the year.
The marriage of text and illustrations in this book is most lovely. Author Scotti Cohn charmingly shows wolf behavior and activity from hunting, playing, and rearing pups to how they live in snow, rain, and sun. Susan Detwiler has given young children the gift of a striking and lovely visual, up-close, look at wolves. Her illustrations can help art classes, and children at home, find new ways to illustrate their own writing, such as in the gorgeous silhouette painting depicting eight wolves in August. This is an engaging and must have book for ages 3 – 8."
