Description
**Starred Review in Publisher's Weekly** The Oldest Bird in the World Survives the Japanese Tsunami
The oldest bird in the world, documented with banding, is Wisdom, the Midway Albatross. She was on Midway when the Japanese Tsunami hit and this is her amazing story of survival of manmade and natural disasters for over 60 years. She has survived the dangers of living wild, plastic pollution, longline fishing, lead poisoning, and the Japanese earthquake. At 65, she's still laying eggs and hatching chicks. See her Facebook page at facebook.com/wisdomthealbatross
Wildlife artist Kitty Harvill used photos as a reference for her luminous watercolors. Her ability to depict a specific individual, not just a generic image of a species, makes this a unique portrait and a biography in text and art. Pattison's story, vetted by scientists in the field, explains the difficulties of surviving in the wild for a Laysan albatross. It's incredible that the bird banding program happened to band this unique bird early in her life and can still follow her story today.
Read this children's nonfiction picture book, story of survival and hope amidst the difficulties of life.
About the Author
Children's book author and indie publisher DARCY PATTISON has written over seventy award-winning fiction and non-fiction books for children. Five books have received starred PW, Kirkus, or BCCB reviews. Awards include the Irma Black Honor award, five NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Books, four Eureka! Nonfiction Honor book (CA Reading Assn.), two Junior Library Guild selections, two CLA Notable Children's Book in Language Arts, a Notable Social Studies Trade Book, a Best STEM Book, an Arkansiana Award, and the Susannah DeBlack Arkansas Children's History Book award. She's the 2007 recipient of the Arkansas Governor's Arts Award for Individual Artist for her work in children's literature. Her books have been translated into ten languages.
Kitty Harvill specializes in wildlife art, especially endangered species, and works in watercolor, pastel, oil and cut paper. She has a dual residency in Arkansas/U.S. and Brazil and is actively involved with the conservation efforts in southern Brazil. Recent titles include Wisdom, the Midway Albatross (Mims House), Up, Up, Up! It's Apple- Picking Time (Holiday House) and Vida Livre (published in Brazil). Born in Clarksville, Tennessee, Harvill holds degrees in painting and illustration. For more information, see www.facebook.com/KittyHarvill.
Reviews
Publisher's weekly Starred Review: http: //www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-9798621-7-5 "It's marvelous! I LOVE it! And I got a lump in my throat, tears! And I'm a biologist! Your book is beautiful, meaningful, simple, elegant.........thank you for caring, thank you for sharing this story!" Kim Rivera, National Seabird Coordinator, NOAA Fisheries, Deputy ARA, Protected Resources Division, Alaska Region "Wisdom's story makes my heart soar." Kirby Larson, author of Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship and Survival and Winner of the Newbery Honor for Hattie Big Sky. "On December 10, 1956, early in my first visit to Midway, I banded 99 incubating Laysan Albatrosses in the 'downtown' area of Sand Island, Midway. Wisdom (band number 587-51945) is still alive, healthy, and incubating again in December 2011. While I have grown old and gray and get around only with the use of a cane, Wisdom still looks and acts just the same as on the day I banded her. . . remarkable true story. . . beautifully illustrated in color." Chandler S. Robbins, Sc.D, Senior Scientist (Retired), USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD. "As both a seabird conservationist and a mom to young kids, I highly recommend Wisdom, the Midway Albatross. Wisdom's true story of survival is exciting and artist Kitty Harvill brings her to life in illustrations that are beautiful and accurate. Having worked to protect these magnificent creatures, I find it wonderful to be able to share their story through this book!" Jessica Hardesty Norris, Ph.D., Seabird Program Director, American Bird Conservancy "As it stands, Pattison has uncovered one heckuva story. I can say with certainty that no child has ever walked up to my library's children's reference desk asking for nonfiction albatross books for pleasure reading, but for those kids assigned animal bios (it happens), easy nonfiction reads, or just books on birds in general, I now know exactly what it is I'm going to want to hand them. A keeper, you bet." Elizabeth Byrd, A Fuse#8 Blog, School Library Journal
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