A folktale of friendship between dogs and their ancestral cousins, wolves. It also explains why dogs still howl like wolves despite being so different from their wild counterpart. As a wolf lover, I really enjoyed this story as it shows the natural friendship that may be able to take place. ( )

After a lifetime of devoted service to his human family - herding his master's sheep, protecting the house - Sirko the dog finds himself abandoned in this retelling of a Ukrainian tale, left to fend for himself on the cold and lonely steppe because he has grown too old to work. Howling his despair, he draws the attention of a nearby wolf, who, coming to investigate, suggests a surefire plan that will allow Sirko to ingratiate himself once again with his family. Setting up a fake threat to the family baby, one in which Sirko is seen bravely charging to the rescue, the canine cousins succeed in their object of restoring Sirko to his rightful place, and the grateful dog - conscious of what he owes to his wild counterpart - decides that he must repay his debt...

I always look, when reading an adaptation of a traditional tale, to see whether the author has included any information as to source, and - if he has - I often find further reading ideas. In this case, as it happens, Kimmel's source for Sirko and the Wolf was one I had already encountered: Irina Zheleznova's Ukrainian Folk Tales! I enjoyed his retelling of the story, particularly the wolf's rather pointed line - "No creature is as ungrateful as a human being" - which seems to highlight one of the didactic purposes of the tale. I also appreciated Robert Sauber's lovely illustrations, which are so much more appealing than the cover image led me to expect. All in all, an engaging addition to any young folklorist's shelf, particularly those with an interest in Ukraine, or a love of canines. ( )

Sirko and the Wolfe is an Ukrainian tale about a dog named Sirko whose master casts him out due to his old age and the fact that they think he is useless. The Wolfe helps Sirko get his home back by coming up with a genius plan to pretend to steal the master's baby and Sirko pretends to save the baby and return her. After that, the masters take Sirko back giving him whatever he pleases. Sirko remembers how the Wolfe helped him and tries to help him in return, but he can not stop the Wolf's wild ways. This was a cute little story teaching kids to always return favors and be grateful whenever someone helps you out. ( )