Sun Bird: The Amazing Journey of the Arctic Tern
This narrative nonfiction picture book by the creator of the acclaimed Sea Bear and Yoshi and the Ocean celebrates the awe-inspiring 18,000-mile migration of one of Earth's most amazing animals--the Arctic tern. Features a map and extensive back matter.
With bodies home to hollow bones and weighing about the same as a handful of sand, Arctic terns are designed for flight. And fly they do. These remarkable animals migrate an astonishing 18,000 miles--from pole to pole and back again--each year. Along the way they encounter danger, weather, other migratory animals, and a wide range of ecosystems and habitats. Because they chase the sun, ornithologists speculate that the Arctic tern enjoys more hours of daylight than any other animal on Earth.
As she did in her acclaimed picture books Sea Bear and Yoshi and the Ocean, Lindsay Moore combines a poetic, highly readable, science-rich text with gorgeously rendered watercolor paintings. Readers will be swept away by the beautiful and graceful terns, the spectacular landscapes and seascapes they traverse, the sheer magnitude of their journey, and the awesome mysteries of nature. A terrific choice for schools, for science and language arts curriculums, and for family sharing. Includes extensive back matter.
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Become an affiliateLindsay Moore studied marine biology and fine art at Southampton College on Long Island and figure drawing at the Art Students League of New York and earned her master's of science in medical and scientific illustration from Medical College of Georgia, now Augusta University. Her picture books include Sun Bird, Sea Bear, and Yoshi and the Ocean, and she illustrated Rosanne Parry's bestselling novel A Whale of the Wild. Lindsay Moore lives with her family in Northern Michigan.
"Text and pictures soar in this view of the longest annual migration in the natural world. . . . With contagious wonder and a memorable observation that the Arctic tern sees more sunlight than any other creature, Moore retraces the long yearly journey of small birds. . . from Arctic summer waters to Antarctic ones. . . . Sure to leave budding naturalists enthralled and impressed. Natural science at its most visually and verbally lyrical." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"The text is paced well and manages to be both simple and vivid, with evocative imagery that easily balances the drama of such an epic global journey with the scientific details. . . . Watercolor dappling and gentle hues dominate and make an effective foil to moments of high drama, be it the inky black feathers of an attacking skua or vibrant night sky of indigos and sparkling white. Backmatter expands upon the title, detailing how arctic terns likely see more sunlight than any other animal as they journey between poles. . . . An entertaining introduction to avian migration." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books