Old Coyote

by Nancy Wood, Max Grafe (Illustrator)

With simple beauty, Nancy Wood tells a loving story about a wise creature's last day, illuminated with masterful illustrations by Max Grafe.

Old Coyote's muzzle is turning white, and his steps are slow. He spends most of his time basking in the sun and remembering. Chasing rabbits, raising pups with Mrs. Coyote, gathering with his friends on the mountain and howling at the moon — it's been a long, full life, and he's grateful for it. But could it be time for him to take one last journey?

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Death, Poetry

32 pages, Hardcover

First published July 22, 2004

About the author

Nancy Wood / Nancy C. Wood

"It is a tale of the universal spirit of all living things, and their eternal connection to each other," says Nancy Wood of OLD COYOTE, her simple story of a wise creature's final journey, masterfully illustrated by Max Grafe. These words could apply to virtually all of Nancy Wood's books, from inspirational collections of her own poetry and prose to an anthology chronicling the history of the Taos Pueblo Indians, her friends for more than thirty years. The author of more than ten books for children, teens, and adults, Nancy Wood has garnered such honors as a prestigious Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award and an International Reading Association Teacher's Choices Award for her stunning SPIRIT WALKER: POEMS, illustrated by Frank Howell. Indeed, many of her poems have had such a powerful impact on readers that they are often read at weddings and funerals.

Nancy Wood says that she wrote the story of OLD COYOTE when her seven-year-old grandson came to her, grief-stricken, after his dog was run over by a car. "He wanted to know if Buddy had gone to heaven," she says. "I explained that Buddy had dreamed himself into another world; that he was, at that very moment, beginning a new life, maybe as a horse this time, or a bear. He had begun a new and natural circle." Certainly the deeply moving OLD COYOTE suggests a universal meaning as well. "OLD COYOTE is a book about beginnings, and endings, and love among all creatures of the earth," Nancy Wood says. "It is a metaphor for the mystery, beauty, and certainty of death. How easy life would be if, like Old Coyote, we accepted death as a natural part of life. Life may be long or short, happy or sad, but whatever we're given, we should make the most of it, the way Old Coyote does as he changes one world for another, unafraid."


Most recently, Nancy Wood penned HOW THE TINY PEOPLE GREW TALL, an original creation tale illustrated by Rebecca Walsh. Of her fanciful tale, Nancy says, "We are all Tiny People at heart. Though the story of these Tiny People is based on an American Indian emergence myth, it could be about people and animals anywhere."


The award-winning poet, novelist, photographer, and children's book author Nancy Wood lives near Santa Fe, New Mexico where she still occasionally glimpses Tiny People dancing in the wilderness.

Reviews

[Harad Davies · Rating 5 out of 5]

a BEAUTIFUL book - a great relationship between the text and illustrations, tackling a very difficult subject with a lot of grace.(warning: you will probably cry, I know I was heartbroken by the last page.)

[Abbie Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

A meditation on age and going with grace.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

An okay book. Complex in its rendition of death and the circle of life which culminates with a peaceful and inevitable rest and return to the earth. The illustrator, Max Grafe, did a good job at reaching his goal. He writes, "My goal for the images was to capture the essence of the words while leaving enough room for the viewer's imagination to roam."

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a sweet book. It does good job of showing how animals live their lives and often know that their life must come to an end when they grow old and how they accept that.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations.

[Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet, somber story about an old coyote slowly ambling towards Death. Sounds grim but it isn't.

[Skari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely illustrations, gentle explanation of death.