Nights of the Pufflings

by Bruce McMillan

Paperback, 1995

Status

Check shelf

Call number

E Mc

Genres

Children's Books

Nonfiction

Collection

E: EVERYBODY Books, bottom shelves (RED label)

Publication

HMH Books for Young Readers (1995), 32 pages

Description

On a tiny island off the coast of Iceland, Halla and her friends wait with anticipation. Every spring, millions of puffins, the clowns of the sea, return to nest, lay eggs, and raise their chicks to pufflings. That means Halla and her friends will be busy in August when the pufflings venture out at night to take their first flight. Then, all of the children stay out all night, too. During the nights of the pufflings they rescue thousands of stranded young birds, and in the daytime set themsafely free at the beach. In Nights of the Pufflings, Bruce McMillan captures the unique and endearing story of an island tradition.

Local notes

1702-097

User reviews

LibraryThing member artlibby

Every spring on an island in Iceland, schoolchildren await the arrival of the puffins. This is the time of the year when the puffins come in from sea to have their babies. Their babies are called pufflings, and when they are big enough they out to sea. The problem being that some of them get

confused! This is where the schoolchildren come into play. The schoolchildren stay up late and save the puffins that do not make it out to sea. Notably absent from the photo essay is the presence of adults- this is a job for the children of the island! The author has previous books that were awarded the NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book for Children, and he provides a bibliography as well as a more detailed synopsis of the bird at the conclusion of his story. The information is presented in a linear fashion, with photographs that relate directly to the text.

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LibraryThing member conlonk

I thought this was a super interesting book. It is a story about an icelandic ritual of saving baby pufflings who don't make it to the sea on their first attempt flying. The pufflings end up in an icelandic town, in danger from other animals and cars. However, in this town, the children look

forward every year to the first "Night of the Pufflings" - the kickoff to the summer season and nightly searches for pufflings throughout town. The children put the lost pufflings in boxes, then set them free over the ocean for their second ever flights, which they finish by landing in the ocean (their new homes) as opposed to in the town.

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LibraryThing member mariah21

This book was paired with real photographs from the hatching of the baby Puffins and their journey to the sea. It was very interesting and informative. The real pictures made it more real, and the children in the story made it relatable to students.

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