The Wolf Girls: An Unsolved Mystery from History

In this eerie book from the nonfiction An Unsolved Mystery from History picture book series, travel to an Indian orphanage where two new arrivals are so wild that some claim they were raised by wolves.

In 1920 a missionary brought two young girls to an orphanage in India. The girls didn't know how to talk, walk, or eat from a plate. Some people thought the girls had been abandoned by their parents. Some people said the girls were brought up by wolves in the wild. Still others thought that the missionary who ran the orphanage made up the story about the girls. No one knows for sure.

Become a detective, study the clues, and see if you can help solve this chilling mystery from history! Read more Continue reading Read less ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jane Yolen is an award-winning author who has written more than 380 books for children, including the bestseller How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? and the 1988 Caldecott Medal winner Owl Moon. She is known for her beautiful poetry, picture books, fairy tales, novels, and nonfiction, and has even been called "the Hans Christian Andersen of America" (Newsweek) . She lives in Hatfield, Massachusetts. Visit her at JaneYolen.com.

Heidi Elisabet Yolen Stemple is the author of more than thirty books for children, some of which she coauthored with her mother, Jane Yolen, including Not All Princesses Dress in Pink. Heidi lives in Hatfield, Massachusetts.

Roger Roth has been an illustrator since graduating with a BFA from Pratt Institute in 1980. Roger's work appears regularly in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Barron's, and other publications. His work is also used by advertising companies for national and international campaigns. Roger has illustrated more than fifteen children's books (two of which he also wrote) . He also serves as senior lecturer at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia and is a frequent presenter at area schools. FROM PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Another addition to the Unsolved Mystery from History series, The Wolf Girls by Jane Yolen and Heidi Elisabet Yolen Stemple, illus. by Roger Roth, urges readers to act as detectives. The volume presents the evidence, then asks aspiring detectives to evaluate: were two girls brought to an orphanage in India abandoned by their parents or raised by wolves in the wild? Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the hardcover edition. FROM BOOKLIST
Gr. 3-5. As they did in their previous Unsolved Mystery from History picture book about the ghost ship Mary Celeste, the authors look at an incident that raises all sorts of questions. In 1920 two young girls are brought to an orphanage in India. The missionary who runs the orphanage claims they are feral children, raised by wolves. But is that the truth or a hoax? The framework for this tale is unwieldy. A girl whose father is a detective introduces it: "My dad says no mystery is impossible to solve as long as you have enough clues." Her case notes, maps, and word definitions appear on the two-page spreads, but these are sometimes awkwardly placed, leading kids to read them before the blocks of text. What's more, despite several pages of possible conclusions (and the dad's assertion about solving crime) , the answer to the girls' origins is "no one knows for sure." Problems with structure aside, the subject is fascinating, one with immediate kid appeal. Roger Roth's well-executed art tends to shy away from pictures of the girls, which is probably just what readers want to see, but it engages nevertheless. Ilene Cooper
Copyright American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the hardcover edition. FROM SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL
Gr 3-5-An unnamed narrator invites readers to investigate a historical mystery. In 1920, two sisters supposedly raised by wolves were taken to an orphanage in India. Joseph Singh, a missionary who cared for the girls after their discovery, offered varying stories as to how they came to be under his care. It's not only a mystery as to who the girls were, but also what the man's true motives were. Investigators are helped along throughout with explanations of such terms as "sal forest" and "bullock." Notes written on lined paper as if from a journal; the words and their definitions, which are set in small boxes; and text in large boxes are all superimposed on double-spread watercolor illustrations. The art serves to put the information offered in proper perspective. Evenhandedness is apparent throughout. The authors mention that scientists doubt the existence of feral children. It is suggested that individuals who seem as if they might be wild often have handicaps such as autism, deafness, or retardation. More telling, "Scientists have concluded that even a healthy child would not survive for long with only an animal mother." This seems to imply that Singh was at least an opportunist. Although the mystery is not solved, four possible explanations are appended, and readers are asked to form their own opinion. Tasty fodder for emerging detectives.Anne Chapman Callaghan, Racine Public Library, WI

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the hardcover edition. Read more Continue reading Read less