Contact: Angela Penquite

614-873-7637

apenquite@darbycreekpublishing.com

For Immediate Release

August 18, 2005

Wild Dogs Named “Book of the Year” for Strong Conservation Message

Plain City, OH—August 18, 2005—Wild Dogs: Past and Present by Kelly Milner Halls is capturing the attention of conservation groups. On August 12, Wild Dogs was named a Conservation Book of the Year by the Izaak Walton League of America, an 83-year-old conservation organization in Maryland.

Wild Dogs: Past and Present takes a close look at the wolves, coyotes, foxes, jackals, and other wild dogs of North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. Wild Dogs traces the evolution of wild dogs from prehistoric times to the present and includes sections on current efforts to re-establish and protect canine packs around the world.

“In the U.S. [in the 1800s], there were real incentives to get rich by killing wolves,” says Halls. “We drove the wolves to near extinction, so now it’s a wonder they are back.” The book explains how the introduction of 15 wolves to Yellowstone National Park in 1995 has helped return the park’s ecosystem by allowing other animals and vegetation to flourish.

“Restoring the balance is everything. In California, we’ve upset the balance because the wolves kept the coyote population in check. Now the coyotes are coming near homes. We’ve brought this problem on ourselves. We’re miles away from a solution, but taking those steps improves everything,” the author explains.

Halls believes children will lead the pack in improving conservation issues. “Kids can become responsible stewards if we ask them to. If we don’t give them the tools, they don’t have the opportunities to change things. Give them the knowledge and they will do the right thing.”

Kelly Milner Halls is a full-time author with a passion for digging up facts about the world around her. Her previous award-winning titles include Albino Animals, winner of the 2005 Benjamin Franklin Award, and Dinosaur Mummies: Beyond Bare-Bone Fossils, chosen as a 2003 Booklist Top-Ten Science/Technology Book for Youth.

For more information, see the publisher’s website:www.darbycreekpublishing.com
Kelly Milner Halls also has a website: www.kellymilnerhalls.com

Wild Dogs: Past and Present by Kelly Milner Halls

ISBN 1-58196-027-1 64 pages Ages 11 and up Hardcover List price $18.95
For a review copy, please send an email with contact information to info@darbycreekpublishing.com

To Purchase: Visit your local bookstore or order by phone 800-328-4929

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