Circus of the Wolves

_Circus of the Wolves_ tells the story of a black timberwolf captured in the wild and placed in a circus. His trainer is compassionate and empathetic, and gradually earns the wolf's trust. Together, they teach circus born wolves to perform, howling in chorus, hence the name of the book. Eventually the trainer realizes the injustice being done by caging something wild, and allows it to return to the woods it was captured in. The story is mediocre; were I to rate it based just on the story, I would give it three stars. The artwork (by Robert Parker) warrants the fourth star: the watercolors capture the flavour of the wolfs wildness, his frustration at being penned in, and his longing to be free again much more effectively than the story itself.