For young conservationists, the rescue of the buffalo from the brink of extinction in the 1870s and 1880s is both a dark warning and an inspiration. Drawing on Indian history, this oversize picture book focuses on the essential role of one passionate rescuer, Walking Coyote, of the Salish nation, who struggles to raise orphaned buffalo calves until the endangered species finds safety. Partly fictionalized, the story begins with the only surviving calf of a herd destroyed by white hunters. Young Red Elk persuades his dad to take the calf to Walking Coyote's shelter. Bruchac's long, eloquent afterword fills in the facts of the near extinction and the people and organizations who prevented it, a story so dramatic, it didn't need to be fictionalized. Farnsworth's beautiful, full-bleed oil paintings picture a landscape black with buffalo, and then the calf with the people who help it grow strong enough to join the herd and roam free.

The fictional story of one orphaned buffalo calf, Little Thunder Hoof, becomes the vehicle for Bruchac's tale of one extraordinary family and its commitment to saving the Buffalo People. In the 1870s, the American buffalo (bison) was near extinction when Walking Coyote, his wife, Mary, and son, Blanket Hawk, established a corral for animals left behind from the white men's slaughter, where he cared for them until he could take them on the dangerous journey over the mountain to the Salish who welcomed the buffalo. Each year Walking Coyote took more bison over the mountain until the herd numbered in the hundreds and two ranchers, Michel Pablo and Charles Allard, joined the effort to return the buffalo to the prairie. Drenched in nature's colors, the images of the Salish, the landscape and the animals illuminate this historical account as Farnsworth's magnificent panoramic scenes capture the grassy pastures and valley that came to be home to the rescued bison. A first buy for public and school libraries. (afterword) (Picture book. 6-10)

Gr 1-4 After quoting a traditional Salish story about the origins of buffalo on Earth, Bruchac describes how a Nez Perce boy and his father found an orphaned calf in 1873 in Montana and carried it to a friend who had a small herd. The story shifts, somewhat abruptly, to this man, a historical figure named Walking Coyote, who helped to save the species from extinction. With his wife and son, he led nine calves over the mountains to the Salish people. As the herd grew over the years, he finally found a landowner who agreed to keep it safe, making it possible for its descendants to thrive today. The gentle narrative eloquently conveys the beauty and importance of this animal; though there is a bit of adventure during the journey, the heart of the tale is the respect and commitment shown toward the buffalo by Walking Coyote and others. The orphaned calf became the herd's leader, and her courageous actions represent the spirit of the species. Richly atmospheric oil paintings capture the magnificence of the creatures, the kindness of the people, and the beauty of the surrounding landscapes. An afterword updates the fate of the buffalo, providing details of how this herd led to the successful growth in the later 1900s. Steven Engelfried, Multnomah County Library, OR