Runt is a 2002 children's

Children's literature

Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...

 novel written by Marion Dane Bauer. It tells of a story about a wolf pup who is a runt

Runt

A runt is a smaller specimen in a group of animals, usually of offspring in a litter.Runt may also refer to:*Runt , a 1970 album by Todd Rundgren, originally credited to the band Runt...

.

Summary

One spring day in the forests of Minnesota

Minnesota

Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...

, a litter of five is born into a wolf pack led by King and his mate Silver. Of the five, four pups are of regular size: Leader, Sniffer, Runner, and Thinker.

But the fifth-born is smaller than his siblings, christened "Runt" by his father. As he grows up, Runt must be able to show everyone that he isn't worthless because of his size and earn himself a new name.

Characters

• Runt/Singer: The protagionist of the book. A black pup with a white star on his chest, Runt is the youngest and smallest pup born to King and Silver. He gets his name "Singer" for his howling, which he did not do during the majority of the book, after his brother Thinker dies. 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).

• 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. Mate of Silver.

• Silver: Mate of King, Silver gets her name from her silver
  Silver
  Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity 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.

• Bider: A white wolf, Bider is the beta male in the pack and the antagionist in the story. He is in love with Silver, mentioning this a few times in the book (ex.: when he said that he wanted Silver by his side to help him take down the moose that killed Helper). He thinks King is a coward and fights him towards the end of the book, only to be banished from the pack when the former wins. Bider dies eating poisoned meat.

• Helper: The eldest brother of Runt, a tan yearling
  Yearling
  Yearling may refer to:*Yearling , an animal in its second year of life.**Yearling , a horse between one and two years of age.in titles or proper names:*Yearling Books, an imprint of the publishing company Random House....
  
  . He babysat
  Babysitting
  Babysitting is the practice of temporarily caring for a child on behalf of the child's parents. Babysitting is commonly performed as an odd job by teenagers for extra money.-General:...
  
   his younger siblings. After Runt is shunned for being rescued by humans, Helper takes pity on him and spends time with him. Unfortunately, he is killed during a moose
  Moose
  The moose or Eurasian elk is the largest extant species in the deer family. Moose are distinguished by the palmate antlers of the males; other members of the family have antlers with a dendritic configuration...
  
   hunt.

• Hunter: The eldest sister of Runt, a silver gray yearling. During the pups' first hunt, she is injured by the moose that kills her brother Helper.

• Leader: The oldest of Runt's two brothers, Leader is said to be a brown pup. He had "earned" the name Runner when his said-sister tackled and defeated him one day, but he got his name back when he defeated Runner in return.

• Sniffer: A sister of Runt, Sniffer was born with her nose twitching, hence her name. She "earned" the name Thinker when her brother (also named Thinker) had scented out humans, but she earned it back when she caught scent of a deer.

• Runner: Another sister of Runt's, Runner had been born with her legs already in motion.

• Thinker: A brother of Runt, Thinker was born with his brow furrowed. He died after an encounter with a porcupine
  Porcupine
  Porcupines are rodents with a coat of sharp spines, or quills, that defend or camouflage them from predators. They are indigenous to the Americas, southern Asia, and Africa. Porcupines are the third largest of the rodents, behind the capybara and the beaver. Most porcupines are about long, with...
  
  . Before this, he "earned" the name Sniffer when he scented out humans.

• Goldie: Possibly a Golden Retriever
  Golden Retriever
  The Golden Retriever is a medium-sized breed of dog. They were historically developed as gundogs to retrieve shot waterfowl such as ducks and upland game birds during hunting and shooting parties. As such, they were bred to have a soft mouth to retrieve game undamaged and have an instinctive love...
  
  , Goldie is a dog whom Runt befriends. Runt offers her to come with him, but she declines, choosing to stay with her human owners.

• Raven: A domo of King.

• Alpha: A wolf who only shows up for a short time; Runt mistook him for his mother. His pack is near King's territory.

Reception

Publishers Weekly

Publishers Weekly

Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...

described the book as a "tightly plotted, swiftly paced tale", while the School Library Journal

School Library Journal

The School Library Journal is a monthly magazine with articles and reviews for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with a focus on technology and multimedia. Reviews are included for preschool to 4th grade,...

called it "[b]eautifully written". In a starred review, Booklist

Booklist

Booklist is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. It is geared toward libraries and booksellers and is available in print or online...

said it was a "compelling, poignant story" and that "Bauer precisely and vividly conveys the wolves' wild world".