Editorial Content for Firstborn

When I was younger, my imagination was completely captivated by wolves. I remember reading Jean Craighead George's JULIE OF THE WOLVES and, later, NEVER CRY WOLF by Farley Mowat, marveling at the power and mystery of these elusive creatures. Now, in FIRSTBORN, Tor Seidler brings wolves to life for a whole new generation.

Seidler, who evidently was introduced to Yellowstone's wolves by Jean Craighead George himself, is no stranger to writing about animals in previous books such as A RAT'S TALE and GULLY'S TRAVELS. In FIRSTBORN, he makes the surprising choice to narrate his story not from the point of view of one of the wolves, but from that of Maggie, an adventure-loving magpie who's almost as embarrassed of her species' reputation as "empty-headed chatterboxes" as she is of her name (Maggie the magpie? Really?). When Maggie's first and only real friend, a sardonic crow, falls victim to a trigger-happy farm boy, she follows a fetching bluebird beyond the confines of the farm --- and toward a whole new adventure.

[Author Tor Seidler’s] convincingly beastly animals are also deeply human in their emotions and motivations

Maggie makes a surprising alliance with a wolf named Blue Boy who has been recently brought from Canada to Montana as part of the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone Park. The two soon find that their friendship can be mutually beneficial --- Maggie can help Blue Boy spot prey and can later benefit from the remains of the creatures Blue Boy kills. But when Blue Boy mates and fathers a cub, Lamar, who seems more interested in asking a million questions than in learning to be an alpha male, everyone's definition of what it means to be a firstborn wolf son is called into question. Lamar, whose unbridled curiosity leads him into an unorthodox (and unapproved) friendship with a coyote, constantly stretches the boundaries of what's expected of him. And Maggie, who is both an observer of and a participant in the action, consistently casts her mind back to the lessons of that wise old crow as she figures out how to fit into this new sort of family.

Seidler strikes just the right balance here --- he has clearly done his research into the behavior of wolves and other animals. Such details shine through all elements of the narrative, which doesn't pull any punches when it comes to depicting "nature red in tooth and claw." But at the same time, his convincingly beastly animals are also deeply human in their emotions and motivations, enough to arouse readers' sympathies and elicit their own feelings. And there are plenty of human issues to extrapolate here: issues of acceptance (of self and others), of friendships across differences and of tolerance of others' choices. Rich as they are in their potential for discussion, none of these lessons detract from Seidler's absorbing story of animals and nature.