Nutik & Amaroq Play Ball

Julie of the Wolves #3.2

by Jean Craighead George, Ted Rand (Illustrator)

As best friends, Amaroq, an energetic Eskimo boy, and Nutik, a wolf pup, set out on the tundra to find their lost football, they become lost amidst the vast landscape, and Amaroq thinks about what the great wolf leader he was named after would do in their situation and soon he and Nutik find their way home.

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books, Wolves

40 pages, Library Binding

First published June 1, 2001

About the author

Jean Craighead George wrote over eighty popular books for young adults, including the Newbery Medal-winning Julie of the Wolves and the Newbery Honor book My Side of the Mountain. Most of her books deal with topics related to the environment and the natural world. While she mostly wrote children's fiction, she also wrote at least two guides to cooking with wild foods, and an autobiography, Journey Inward.

The mother of three children, (Twig C. George, Craig, and T. Luke George) Jean George was a grandmother who joyfully read to her grandchildren since the time they were born. Over the years Jean George kept one hundred and seventy-three pets, not including dogs and cats, in her home in Chappaqua, New York. "Most of these wild animals depart in autumn when the sun changes their behaviour and they feel the urge to migrate or go off alone. While they are with us, however, they become characters in my books, articles, and stories."

Reviews

[Kaavya Jaganath · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a about boys named Nutik and Amaroq- but Nutik is also a dog. Nutik wanted to go outside to find the football. They walked for a long time and finally found it. I learnt that if I went to somebody’s house I don’t take something and hide it. In the book, the guests had hidden the football.

I only gave this book 3 stars because I didn’t like it so much.

[Ali Book&Seaglasshunter · Rating 3 out of 5]

A boy and his dog search for their football near the tundra. They wander into the tundra and have to find their way home siding cues from nature and observation like the wolf the boy is named after. Pretty illustrations.

[Dione Basseri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perhaps I judge these little picture book sequels to the Julie books in an overly harsh manner. The series has won so many awards and faced such opposition from book banners, that I do go into reading these books with high expectations. And, since these are just average picture books, I am all the more disappointed. If there was no history behind these books, perhaps I wouldn't be so turned off, but I still doubt they'd warrant over a three star review, because...they're just not that interesting.

With this book, it's like...if a parent came up to the circulation desk and put the book in front of me and asked my opinion, I'd just shrug. Nothing glaringly bad, but I'd only really insist they get it if their child loves wolves and they've already run through our collection in pursuit of wolf books.

The art is fine. The story is okay. The connection with the original Julie books is a bit clumsily explained, and seems more for the benefit of parent readers, capitalizing on nostalgia. It's just...meh. Check it out from the library, but you probably won't feel the need to purchase.

[Elizabeth Meadows · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a sweet story illustrated for children featuring two of the characters from Julie's Wolf Pack.

Fans of Julie of the Wolves will enjoy the picture books as well.

[Mae · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. A boy's best friend leads him on a long adventure and it's all about trust.