Books in the America's Animal Comebacks series spotlight species teetering on the brink of extinction that have been brought back by determined conservationists. Before European settlement, the animals featured in Red Wolves roamed eastern North America, but in the 1980s, only 17 remained. Biologists began breeding them in captivity and gradually releasing them. Today, more than 100 red wolves live in the wild and 200 more are being raised in American zoos. Despite rigid division into separate topics on the 12 double-page spreads, each volume has a well-organized text that flows logically from one idea to the next. The illustrations, mainly photos with a few helpful range maps, come from many sources. Though they vary widely in quality and effectiveness, most images are fairly good. Appended features include a page of fast facts, information about a couple of related species that are endangered, a glossary, brief bibliographies, and a link with more information online via the publisher's series Web site.

Using glossy up-close photographs and accessible text, this book offers readers a clear chronicle of the red wolves' struggles and successes. Goldish clearly outlines the threats and what humans have done to help (after, in some measure, causing the problem). Young readers studying conservation will gain valuable information. Statistics and facts about other endangered wolves are appended. Reading list. Bib., glos., ind.