Gray Wolf's Search

by Bruce Swanson, Gary Peterson (Illustrator)

In this wonderful original tale, a young boy is told by his uncle, the village shaman, that his role in their clan and tribe depends on his finding and getting to know a very important person. Gray Wolf journeys through the woods and seashore around his home and through the seasons for a full year in the course of his search.
Through conversations with his brothers and sisters in the woods and waters--Bear, Eagle, Whale, Beaver, Owl and Wolf--Gray Wolf makes a wonderful discovery about the value of each and every one of us.
As children follow Gray Wolf on his journey they learn about village life among coastal peoples of the Pacific Northwest. This beautiful hardcover book is richly illustrated by the distinctive full-color artwork of Gary Peterson and fourteen original drawings.
Parents will enjoy reading this book aloud as much as young readers will enjoy following the story themselves.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

24 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2007

Reviews

[Emily Shaw]

I enjoyed reading about this book. I thought this was a great book about loving yourself, and realizing self worth. Also, that all lives are equally important. The story is about a boy named ray Wolf. He is given a task to go on a search for a very important person. He asks all the animals he comes into contact with, however he can't find who the person is. He ends up looking within and realizing that every life is important. I would recommend this book and would read it to my future class. I could also speak about tribes and their rituals.

[Jennifer Wise]

This book and illustrations represent Native American tribes beautifully. Gray Wolf is sent out on his own to find someone "very important". As he goes on his adventure, he learns more and more about himself through self discovery. The story is absolutely beautiful and shows the reader how unique everyone is and how all of our lives are here for their own specific reason.

[Bella]

I was drawn to this title because I just finished creating a learning journey which requires many books that have wolves in their plot line and which reveal first nations’ or other indigenous communities’ views and perspectives on wolves.

[Cait]

This is a beautiful book. The illustrations are gorgeous, and the story is heartwarming, with a fantastic message about community, harmony and humanity. A must for any child's library.

[Dawn]

Worldview - Universally Acceptable

Location - Pacific Northwest Coastal Region Time Period - Pre-Contact

Review
A beautifully illustrated story of a young native boy on a quest of self discovery. Gray Wolf is sent by the wise Shaman to find a very important person. He meets various animals on his journey. Each one has something wise to tell Gray Wolf. The beauty and respect of the language in each of these interactions speaks to the skill of the author. The dialogue between Gray Wolf and each animal is charming while maintaining a simplicity that even the youngest child could enjoy.

The overlying theme that we are all of equal importance and each have a vital contribution to make to society is well presented, although later in the book it may come across slightly heavy-handed.

The art which blends both aboriginal and modern styles is the true star of this book, bringing the text to life in what could have been an unmemorable experience. Gary Peterson is an illustrator to watch for.

The Wolf Clan mentioned would appear to be the Tsimchian people of British Columbia. I would be very interested to hear from anyone familiar with the lore and customs of this people group as to whether this accurately represents their culture.

Teacher Application
This story would be an enhancement to a West Coast First Nations People unit.

The use of the talking stick in this story as well as the theme of respect and equality make it a wonderful choice for introducing the concept to a class. Many teachers make use of a talking stick for classroom discussions. By using this story to introduce the idea it is a chance to make this into a rich learning opportunity as well as a classroom management tool.

Positive self-esteem, humility and treating others respectfully are well demonstrated in this story making it a good choice to reinforce these character traits.

Character Traits Taught
Positive self-esteem
Humility
Equality
Respect for others
Respect for nature
Consideration of Others

Parental Warning
This book contains a Shaman, which might concern some parents, he is presented as a wise man and there is no reference to any mysticism or magic.

[Michelle]

The story itself and illustrations represent the Native American culture, something that deals with the history of the United States and is something children will learn in school. This story gives a good look into the legends and ideas of those Natives.

[Lara]

Boy's quest

[Ck]

I enjoyed the illustrations by Gary Peterson. The story is a bit long but it has a great end to it.

[Prama]

The story has good flow and interesting dialogue. It ends with a beautiful lesson. Loved the art as well. There were a couple of pages the story could maybe do without.

[Tracy Schillemore]

I am doing a storytime on First Nations people for our summer reading program which is a Canadian theme. This story has a couple of Native customs and has many animals that are from Canada. I thought it was respectful of the culture.