Never Cry Wolf

by Farley Mowat

Book Overview

Hordes of bloodthirsty wolves are slaughtering the arctic caribou, and the government's Wildlife Service assigns naturalist Farely Mowat to investigate. Mowat is dropped alone onto the frozen tundra, where he begins his mission to live among the howling wolf packs and study their waves. Contact with his quarry comes quickly, and Mowat discovers not a den of marauding killers but a courageous family of skillful providers and devoted protectors of their...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0771066635
• ISBN13: 9780771066634
• Release Date: January 1992
• Publisher: McClelland & Stewart
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

I loved it!

I read this book on a commercial fishing vessel headed to Togiak, Alaska. I enjoyed the book. Hardworking people, decent food, and a good book go a long way in helping soothe the soul.

Not bad, not good either.

Very informative about wolves and their family/ social bonds. I found the book too wordy and dry.

A surprisingly great book

The first time I saw,Never Cry Wolf, I thought I would not enjoy reading it. First, because it was an assigned literary book to read: secondly, it was not a book I would normally select to read. However, I was pleasantly surprised with this book, and thoroughly enjoyed reading it.Farley Mowat, the author, has an incredible vocabulary that he uses to tell the story. But, while he may use some scientific or big words it doesn't distract the reader too much. In his writing, Mowat has a lovable quality, sarcasm. This trait makes the book fun to read and easily relatable to real life and people. Mowat takes the reader to the world of the Arctic Wolves in the Canadian wilderness. The narrator, a biologist, is sent by the government to explore the life of the wolf, and, more specifically, to find out more information on how the wolf is interacting with the other species of life. What the narrator learns through his study changes his views on the wolf and on the world. He realizes that things aren't always as they seem, and facts are not always simple to understand.

Wolf Juice

I really enjoyed this book. It was well written and kept the reader thinking. I was continually wondering how many other things we, as a society, might have misconceptions about. I loved the style of writing. I could have read the book in one setting. It was funny, egotistical yet humble, and kept me enthralled. After reading Farley Mowat's story, I was ready to head out and live on the Alaskan tundra with wolves and eskimos. Who doesn't need a break from the world once in a while? Luckily, I was able to mentally visit the wolves and enjoy the comfort of my recliner at the same time. It was like Discovery Channel, only the narrator was hilarious. Great book!!!!

Good addition to the conservationist's repertoire.

Though Mowat's experience with wolves occurred over 30 years ago, it managed to captivate my interest and provide me additional insight to a species I am very concerned about. As a short novel, I wasn't sure whether Mowat intended his narrative to be that of a scientific account or a "coming to terms" with the human/wolf spiritual experience. Either way, it was in parts both vastly entertaining as well as intellectually well-grounded and thoughtful. Anyone concerned about the constant perpetuation of negative myths about wolves in our or any culture should read as much as possible about wolves in order to begin to understand where society has wronged such an intelligent, special animal. Mowat's book is an excellent source of information for the conservationist seeking a view into the lives of an artic wolf family, as well as for the reader who may have no idea how unfairly ostracized this species has been--30 years ago or not, the concepts of human encroachment, unfounded hatred and unjustified blame are alive today, as is human's preoccupation with pest control in the name of profits.