I won this book as a Goodreads giveaway, but this did not affect my opinion.

Journey is the true story of a wolf, who migrated almost 2,000 miles from northeast Oregon's long trek into Northern California and eventually settling in southern Oregon, where he found a mate. I really liked the story of the wolf, which was based on actual sightings, but did not care for the alternating pages which followed a young girl Abby's attempts to aid the wolf, who she helped name. Similarly, I loved illustrator Robin James' nature shots, which were beautiful versus her mundane pictures of Abby's home. Even though this was a children's book, I think Emman Smith could have done more to develop the human characters and plight of wild wolves.
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Using facts recorded by Fish & Wildlife scientists, this story follows the ourney of a young gray wolf who traveled from Oregon to California to become the first wild wolf in California in almost a century. The author imagines the wolf’s experiences in close detail as he makes an epic 2,000-mile trek over three years time. The wolf’s story is interwoven with the perspective of a young girl who follows his trek through the media.

Journey: Based on the True Story of OR7, the Most Famous Wolf in the West is a way to get your child interested in preservation of wildlife. The story starts with a little girl and Abby reading a story about a wolf leaving its pack for a separate journey of his own. His pack was reintroduced into Oregon where there used to be many wolves. Abby started tracing the route that he took on a map with thumbtacks.

This book is beautifully illustrated and there is illustration of the wolf's actual 2,000 mile journey with a map and explanation. And there is also an timeline that starts with 1924 when the last wolf in California was shot. And it includes the OR7 's litter of pups. There is also a page of suggestions for discussion. The only improvement that I can think of for this book is some more general information of wolf behavior.

I highly recommend this book for children.

I received this finished copy by making a selection from Amazon Vine books but that in no way influenced my thoughts or feelings in this review. I also posted this review only on sites meant for reading not for selling ( )