The Big Busy House ® ©1998 HarperCollins Publishers

Back to Julie and Her Wolves Guides Julie Discussing and Responding Reaching Across the Curriculum Synopsis: Julie has survived the tundra with the help of her wolves, and now she must find a way to help them survive. Kapugen, her father, has married a gussak (Eskimo for Caucasian) and given up many of the Eskimo traditions. As head of the village's corporation, Kapugen pledges to kill the wolves if they threaten the musk oxen, the livelihood of the community. Determined to convince her father that the wolves must be saved, Julie sets out on a mission that not only saves the wolves but changes her life as well. Discussing and Responding Why do you think Julie is disappointed when she learns that her father has taken a wife from outside the Eskimo culture? Why does she want Ellen, her father's wife, to call her Julie instead of Miyax? Why doesn't Julie want to speak English to Ellen? At what point does Julie reveal to Ellen that she can speak English? How does Kapugen know that "the spirit of the wild things lived in his daughter"? What does Amaroq, Julie's baby brother, symbolize for Julie and for her father? How are Julie's feelings for Peter different from her feelings for Daniel in Julie of the Wolves? Why is Julie afraid to fall in love with Peter? At what point does Kapugen free Julie to grow up and "point her boots toward Peter"? Reaching Across the Curriculum Language Arts || Social Studies || Science || Art and Drama Language Arts Jean Craighead George uses similes to create certain images (for example, "The river ice had cracked like a jigsaw puzzle"). Rewrite the sentence without the simile. How does the image change? Find other examples of similes in the novel. Julie is eager to read books that will tell her about life outside her culture. Make a list for her of books that best describe teenage life in the United States. Write a letter to Julie telling her about your favorite book on the list. In the summertime, the Eskimo villagers have Nalukataq, a festival, on the church grounds. Pretend that you are a reporter for the local newspaper. Write a feature article about the festival that Julie and her family attend. Social Studies Peter Sugluk, Julie's friend, is from Provideniya, Siberia. Determine the latitude and longitude of his home in Siberia and of his adopted home of Kangik, Alaska. Compare and contrast the climates in each location. Peter feels that the Eskimo culture is similar in both locations. How might the cultures be different? At one time Eskimos lived in igloos. Today, they live in houses. Kapugen's house has a qanitchaq, an entry room designed to keep out the cold. Research the design and construction of the igloo and compare and contrast it with today's housing. Julie's story takes place in Alaska. Find out when Alaska became a state and what changes have occurred in the Eskimo culture since then. What is the primary source of income today? Write a documentary script contrasting the old Eskimo culture with the new. Science Dogs are descendants of wolves. Find out the breed of dog that most resembles the wolf in appearance and behavior. Write a factual paper that illustrates the kinship between the wolf and the dog. Julie says that "Kapugen knows we must live with nature, not control it." What is the environmental message in this belief? Create an appropriate poster entitled "Live With Nature, Not Control It." Why is the raven considered the "messenger of the tundra"? Make a list of other animals in the book that give "messages" to Julie and to the hunters. How do their "messages" help Julie save the wolves? Art and Drama Harry Ulugaq, an artist, brings a baleen basket to Kapugen to sell. Kapugen wants to sell it to a museum. Research other types of Eskimo art that might be found in a museum. In small groups, dramatize a favorite scene in the book. One group might consider the "Ceremony of Respect" (page 201). Julie of the Wolves | Julie's Wolf Pack Thematic Connections || About the Author Back to Teacher's Guides Home