Child's Play by Judy Larson ~ When the Europeans arrived in the New World they brought with them a fear of the wariness of wolves that stemmed from their long history as shepherds. Their fears and misgivings came from centuries of struggling to protect their flocks and families from predation by wolves.

In contrast, the Native Americans respected and revered the wolf for its prowess as a shrewd hunter. They even allowed their children to engage in play with wolf pups. Europeans traveling westward viewed this behavior skeptically and considered it further proof of the extraordinary difference between their respective civilizations.

Today, the great forests of the Northwest are the gray wolf's last retreat in America as are some of the great forests in Western Europe such as the Carpathians, the Black Forest and vast stretches of Scandinavia.

"Child's Play" celebrates the wolf, now listed as an endangered and threatened species. The subtle hidden image of the two Native American children asks that we replace the deep superstitions of our European ancestors and awaken to the joy and wisdom wolves bring to our world.