''Runt'' is a 2002
children's novel
Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. In addition to conventional literary genres, modern children's literature is classified by the intended age of the reade ...
written by
Marion Dane Bauer. It tells of a story about a
wolf pup who is a
runt
In a group of animals (usually a litter of animals born in multiple births), a runt is a member which is significantly smaller or weaker than the others.. Owing to its small size, a runt in a litter faces disadvantage, including difficulties in c ...
.
Summary
One spring day in the forests of
Minnesota
Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
, a litter of five is born into a wolf pack led by King and his mate Silver. The first four pups are named Leader, Sniffer, Runner, and Thinker. The last pup is much smaller than the others; his disgusted father gives him the name Runt. His mother assures Runt that someday his father will think of a better name.
As Runt grows older, he gets bigger, but he is still smaller than the others. At one point in Runt's life, he and Thinker mess with a
porcupine
Porcupines are large rodents with coats of sharp Spine (zoology), spines, or quills, that protect them against predation. The term covers two Family (biology), families of animals: the Old World porcupines of the family Hystricidae, and the New ...
, who attacks them with quills. They get back to the pack, badly wounded; Thinker soon dies from a quill through his eye, which angers King. Human
wildlife rescuers trap Runt and remove the quills, before releasing him. He later meets their dog, Goldie, and, unable to understand
domestication
Domestication is a multi-generational Mutualism (biology), mutualistic relationship in which an animal species, such as humans or leafcutter ants, takes over control and care of another species, such as sheep or fungi, to obtain from them a st ...
, futilely tries to get her to come with him.
Runt thinks he will be renamed twice during the book; once, he imagines the name "Brave One" when he howls at the humans, and later he thinks he will be called "Provider" when he brings back the tail of a cow. However, he is not renamed, or respected, and even snubbed for a time since he smells like human, much to his chagrin. He wanders off with Bider, the pack outcast, but soon learns the dangers of living away from a pack's collective wisdom when Bider dies eating meat a farmer has poisoned.
As he is wandering, Runt finds an old
moose
The moose (: 'moose'; used in North America) or elk (: 'elk' or 'elks'; used in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is the world's tallest, largest and heaviest extant species of deer and the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is also the tal ...
weak enough to be hunted. He
howls to call the other wolves to tell them of the massive meal. He is able to contact them, and his father renames him "Singer". Finally secure in his identity, Singer rejoins the pack.
Characters
*Runt/Singer: The protagonist of the book. A black pup with a white star on his chest (just like his father, King), Runt is the youngest and smallest pup born to King and Silver. He eventually gets his name "Singer" for howling, which he did not do during the majority of the book, after his brother Thinker died. Before being christened with said name, Runt thought he would get the name "Brave One" (when he howled at humans) and "Provider" (when he brought back the tail of a
cow
Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are called co ...
).
*King: The alpha male of Runt's pack as well as the father of Runt, Helper, Hunter, Leader, Sniffer, Runner, and Thinker. King is strongly against the idea of hunting down cows, much to Bider's chagrin. He is the mate of Silver. He is aggressive and difficult to please, but shows
mercy
Mercy (Middle English, from Anglo-French , from Medieval Latin , "price paid, wages", from Latin , "merchandise") is benevolence, forgiveness, and kindness in a variety of ethical, religious, social, and legal contexts.
In the social and le ...
to Bider when he challenges King but fails.
*Silver: The Mate of King, Silver gets her name from her
silver
Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...
y gray pelt. She is the mother of Runt, Leader, Sniffer, Thinker, Runner, Helper, Hunter, and two little pups who died before they came out of the den. She is sympathetic to her young son.
*Other Pack King: Runt mistakes him for his mother at one point and follows him into his territory. His pack is near King's territory. He decides to allow Runt to return home, but
marks
Marks may refer to:
Business
* Mark's, a Canadian retail chain
* Marks & Spencer, a British retail chain
* Collective trade marks
A collective trademark, collective trade mark, or collective mark is a trademark owned by an organization (such ...
the trees near where Runt was wandering to warn him and the other wolves not to trespass again.
*Bider: A white wolf who is the outcast of the pack. He fights with King over whether or not the pack should hunt cows and anger the humans, and is banished. His name comes from the fact he is "biding his time" to take over from King. He dies eating meat that a farmer poisoned to catch him.
*Goldie: A dog owned by the humans who rescue Runt. Her name suggests she may be a
golden retriever or
yellow Labrador. She is kind to Runt but does not understand his idea of "freedom". Runt later flees when he sees the humans put her on a chain.
*Thinker: Runt's brother. He is the smartest of the litter, and dies slowly when a
porcupine
Porcupines are large rodents with coats of sharp Spine (zoology), spines, or quills, that protect them against predation. The term covers two Family (biology), families of animals: the Old World porcupines of the family Hystricidae, and the New ...
impales him with its quills.
Reception
''
Publishers Weekly
''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...
'' described the book as a "tightly plotted, swiftly paced tale", while the ''
School Library Journal
''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, wi ...
'' called it "
autifully written". In a starred review, ''
Booklist
''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is ...
'' said it was a "compelling, poignant story" and that "Bauer precisely and vividly conveys the wolves' wild world".
Editorial reviews, as archived at Amazon.com
/ref>
References
{{reflist
2002 American novels
American children's novels
Novels set in Minnesota
Children's novels about wolves
2002 children's books
Clarion Books books
Children's books set in Minnesota
Children's books set in forests