Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Houghton Mifflin Company
Pages
32
Description
As a boy, John James Audubon loved to watch birds. In 1804, at the age of eighteen, he moved from his home in France to Pennsylvania. There he took a particular interest in peewee flycatchers. While observing these birds, John James became determined to answer a pair of two-thousand-year-old questions: Where do small birds go in the winter, and do they return to the same nest in the spring?
Description
This fascinating picture book biography from beloved author of the Lemonade War series Jacqueline Davies and Caldecott honor–winning illustrator Melissa Sweet chronicles the life of scientist John James Audubon, who pioneered a technique essential to our understanding of birds thanks to his lifelong love for the species.
If there was one thing James loved to do more than anything else, it was to be in the great outdoors watching his beloved feathered friends.
In the fall of 1804, he was determined to find out if the birds nesting near his Pennsylvania home would really return the following spring. Through careful observation, James laid the foundation for all that we know about migration patterns today.
Capturing the early passion of this bird-obsessed young man as well as the meticulous study and scientific methods behind his research, this lively, gorgeously illustrated biography will leave young readers listening intently for the call of birds large and small near their own home.
If there was one thing James loved to do more than anything else, it was to be in the great outdoors watching his beloved feathered friends.
In the fall of 1804, he was determined to find out if the birds nesting near his Pennsylvania home would really return the following spring. Through careful observation, James laid the foundation for all that we know about migration patterns today.
Capturing the early passion of this bird-obsessed young man as well as the meticulous study and scientific methods behind his research, this lively, gorgeously illustrated biography will leave young readers listening intently for the call of birds large and small near their own home.
Collection
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
32 p.; 10.25 inches
ISBN
0618243437 / 9780618243433
UPC
046442243438
Similar in this library
Lexile
L
User reviews
LibraryThing member mrcmyoung
"'I will bring my books to the cave,' John James decided. 'And my pencils and paper. I will even bring my flute. I will study my cave birds every day. I will draw them just as they are.' And because he was a boy who loved the out-of-doors more than the in, that is just what he did."
What a treasure
What a treasure
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for those of us who love the out-of-doors more than the in. Davies book reads like an engaging story rather than a biography or history lesson, which it is. Audubon was supposed to be in America tending a farm and learning how to make money (though his father also wanted him out of the way of Napoleon's war). Setting out to prove what that small birds migrate rather than hibernate in large groups underwater or fly to the moon and back, to proposed theories at the time, Audubon uses patience, keen observation, and an ingenious plan to find some answers that make sense. What I love about this book, as well as books about Darwin and Muir, is that it is a story about passion, about someone who can't do anything but study birds, even if it made sense to few others in the world at that time. A wonderful subject for children and adults. Show Less
LibraryThing member RangerRoss
This book gives a narrative account of the life of John James Audubon. It is illustrated with a mix of original drawings, Audubon's paintings, and artifacts from his life.
Though the author may have taken some artistic liscence with the exact events, the story tells a narrative of the young life of
Though the author may have taken some artistic liscence with the exact events, the story tells a narrative of the young life of
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Audubon before he became the celebrated painter. It details how he used scientific investigation, such as bird banding, to delve into the lives of the species. One minor complaint is that the author seems to confuse phoebe's and pewees, two similar species of flycatchers-- or at least confused me, an avid birder-- in her narrative. This book would be both a good introduction to the life of audubon as well as a nice introduction to methods naturalists might use to answer questions scientifically. Show Less
LibraryThing member jpmorales92
The Boy Who Drew Birds is an introduction into the life and scientific findings of John James Audubon. Though Davies has presented Audubon's biography as a story with emotion and characterization rather than just facts, I still didn't find myself engaged in her writing nor the story of Audubon.
LibraryThing member lalfonso
This book was written as a narrative, which will appeal to most children. It was the story of John Jay Audubon's childhood interest in birds and how he explored it. It included water colored illustrations. It will appeal to any child who is interested in birds. I found the text to be dry, and
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unappealing, but the story is told in an attempt to hold a child's interest. The subject matter is certainly important for any native New Orleanian. The book included several additional features. It had a section called About John James Audubon which gave a little bit of history about some of the details in the story. There was an Author's Source Note which explained where the information used in the story came from, and gave further details about speculations that he made in the narrative. Also, included was a Bibliography, and finally an Illustrator's Source Note. Based on the Bibliography, I would say that the author did her homework and is credible. Teaching ideas include art, history, study of birds. I would also use it as part of a career unit. I could talk about how Audubon carved out a career for himself based on his interests. Then, I would have the students discuss their interests and how that might lead to a career. Show Less
LibraryThing member rnelson12
A carefully written and illustrated book of the life of James Audubon.
LibraryThing member matthewbloome
This biographical portrait of John James Audubon covers the years just after he came to America and his earliest experience with bird banding. It emphasizes his enthusiasm and his inventiveness and hints at his underlying motivation to achieve something that the rest of the scientific community did
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not believe for his father. My favorite part was finding out where most scientists of his day believed birds went during the winter months rather than flying to warmer places. Underwater? Morph into other animals? How could they think that? Didn't they ever look up at the sky and see all the birds pumping their wings in the same general direction. Scientists must have been really lazy back then. Or just plain dimwitted. Or maybe they had really vivid hallucinations. Show Less
LibraryThing member lrubin75
The back story of John James Audubon raised in France, sent to America to evade enlistment during Napoleonic War. Self taught naturalist who challenged the existing theories on bird wintering and migration, established an experiment to band birds legs to track their return to nesting caves.
LibraryThing member lruano
John James lived in France and he loved to watch birds it was his favorite thing of all. When he turned eighteen years old his father sent him to America. In America John loved to watch and paint birds and he wanted to know where small birds went for the winter. John James made that discovery
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because he was the first to band a bird in 1804. John James put a silver strands on a baby bird who he had been watching since the bird was in his egg. By doing that he figured out that the birds came back to there home after winter. John James not only began the process known as banding but, he also painted the most amazing real life paintings of birds. Show Less
LibraryThing member aehunter
John James Audubon, a young boy who loved everything outdoors, especially birds. This story takes you through Audubon's life and his journey on studying birds. This book shows how Audubon discovered bird migration, and exactly where they went during the winter.
Teaching Ideas: nature, birds,
Teaching Ideas: nature, birds,
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migration, Audubon Show Less
LibraryThing member daphnejohnson
Good book, Great book for bird-watchers. Very informative, the character was an author and artist. Some of his own statements are in the book.
Good reading.
Good reading.
LibraryThing member kquisling
This biography of John James Audubon illuminates the strange and passionate life of the boy who drew birds. Audubon's life serves as an example to many young readers of a life took an alternate path. This book widen's the future of possibilities for young students who are surrounded by pressure and
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expectation to be successful by someone else's definition. Show Less
LibraryThing member Patty6508
The biography of a young John James Audobon as he learns about the small birds in Pennsylvania. He wants to learn where do small birds go in the winter (and disprove some of the 'scientific' theories that were common. The illustrations are beautiful. This would be a great biography for students to
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explore different careers. Show Less
Subjects
Awards
Riverby Awards (Winner — 2005)
Sigurd Olson Nature Writing Award (Children's Literature — 2004)
CCBC Choices (2005)
NSTA/CBC Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students K–12 (Biography — 2005)
Call number
J2T.706