GRAY WOLF PUP

In the Smithsonian Wild Heritage Collection, an Alaskan wolf pup is portrayed during a single day—romping with other pups, deferring to his father, straying from the pack when he chases a mouse. At twilight, his parents track him and fetch him home. To state that ``From now on, Gray Wolf Pup will follow the pack's rules. He will not wander nor disobey his parents'' may exaggerate the effect of a single experience, but the more general concept—that the pup is learning essential lessons through each interaction—is on target. And though her text is simple, Boyle neatly incorporates other basics of wolf behavior- -e.g., that the mother is the ``alpha female'' (one of several terms defined in a short glossary). Domm uses a palette dominated by saturated greens and blues for skillful depictions of a tundra lush with wildflowers and the animals in a variety of typical poses. An attractive introduction. Also new: Boyle's Summer Coat, Winter Coat (ISBN: 0-56899-015-4), about an Alaskan snowshoe hare. (Nonfiction/Picture book. 3-8)