▁mountains ▁of ▁Si ber ia , ▁the ▁novel ▁is ▁about ▁an ▁o stra ci zed ▁she ph erd ▁who ▁def ends ▁the ▁mountain ▁r ams ▁from ▁hun ters . ▁The ▁novel , ▁illustrated ▁by ▁Cla ire ▁Lou den ▁and ▁George ▁Lou den , ▁was ▁first ▁published ▁in ▁ 1 9 5 1 ▁and ▁was ▁a ▁New ber y ▁Honor ▁recip ient ▁in ▁ 1 9 5 2 . ▁ ▁Plot ▁The ▁story ▁is ▁about ▁a ▁Lam ut ▁( E vens ) ▁named ▁Tur gen ▁whose ▁family ▁was ▁killed ▁by ▁an ▁ill ness ▁which ▁left ▁him ▁alone ▁to ▁his ▁practice ▁of ▁medicine ▁in ▁his ▁Y urt . ▁He ▁then ▁out ▁of ▁his ▁l onel iness ▁be fri ends ▁a ▁group ▁of ▁r ams ▁near ▁his ▁y urt ▁this ▁cause ▁the ▁town spe ople ▁to ▁look ▁at ▁him ▁and ▁start ▁strange ▁rum ors ▁that ▁it ▁is ▁impossible ▁for ▁a ▁man ▁to ▁be friend ▁animals ▁so ▁he ▁must ▁be ▁a ▁sor cer er ▁and ▁sh unn ed ▁because ▁of ▁it . ▁While ▁on ▁coming ▁back ▁from ▁his ▁usual ▁fish ing ▁and ▁hunting ▁round ▁he ▁he ars ▁cry ing ▁and ▁dec ides ▁to ▁help ▁he ▁goes ▁inside ▁the ▁y urt ▁to ▁see ▁ 2 ▁children . ▁The ▁el dest ▁one ▁Tim ▁approached ▁Tur gen ▁and ▁with ▁all ▁his ▁kind ness ▁stayed ▁to ▁tend ▁to ▁the ▁young est ▁child ▁A ska ▁as ▁she ▁was ▁only ▁but ▁an ▁infant . ▁As ▁time ▁past ▁Mar fa ▁the ▁mother ▁of ▁the ▁children ▁came ▁from ▁working ▁to ▁see ▁Tur gen ▁t ending