For the Birds: The Life of Roger Tory Peterson

by Peggy Thomas, Laura Jacques (Illustrator)

Overview

Winner of the John Burroughs Nature Books for Young Readers Award

Here is the first children's biography of Roger Tory Peterson, a a global environmentalist who revolutionized the way we look at and appreciate birds, animals, and plants.

To some, he was "Professor Nuts Peterson" because of his dedication to his craft. Yet Roger Tory Peterson went on to create the immensely popular Peterson Guides, which have sold more than seven million copies, and which birders everywhere appreciate for their simple text and exquisite illustrations. Working closely with the Roger Tory Peterson Institute in Jamestown, New York, author Peggy Thomas and artist Laura Jacques have created a fascinating portrait of this great naturalist.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781590787649
Publisher:	Astra Publishing House
Publication date:	11/01/2011
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	10.20(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD1010L (what's this?)
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

Peggy Thomas is the author of Farmer George Plants a Nation, an award-winning history and science picture book biography of George Washington, as well as more than a dozen other books for children. She lives in Middleport, New York, not far from the Roger Tory Peterson Institute.

Laura Jacques is an acclaimed artist whose work has focused on wildlife, nature, and environmental awareness for children.

Editorial Reviews

A boyhood love of birds turned into a lifelong passion for Peterson (1908–1996), an American artist, author, and activist. Birds are clearly a passion for illustrator Jacques, too; her dramatically lit, hyperreal full-bleed paintings often put various species of birds front and center, making it crystal clear why Peterson found them so captivating. Thomas provides a thorough account of Peterson’s life (and additional information in back matter), taking readers through his childhood explorations in the woods near his home in Jamestown, N.Y., to his successes as a painter and author and his later efforts to protect the habitats of birds around the globe. Ages 8–up. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

"An excellent addition to the 'sense of wonder' shelf."—Kirkus Reviews

"Biographical information, touching on such things as [Peterson's] three marriages, is appended, along with a note on The Peterson Effect, which helped people better appreciate the plight of birds and other animals. Thomas's prose and Jacques's art work in tandem to rescue Peterson from obscurity for this age range." —School Library Journal

"Weaving many avian metaphors into the text, Thomas creates an interesting and informative portrait of Peterson." —Booklist

From the Publisher

Gr 3–5—Lifetime bird enthusiast and eventual author of numerous field guides, Peterson makes an impressive subject in this picture-book biography. Thomas starts with her subject's youth (he loved the outdoors and preferred the company of animals to other children) and follows chronologically to his death at 87 in 1996. The text is clear and lively. As a boy he went to his town's city hall to explain that he could not possibly be home by the 8:45 curfew because he was studying moths. The chief of police signed a permit allowing him to be out until 11. Full-page, gorgeous, and uncaptioned illustrations draw readers' eyes away from the text. One painting shows young Peterson about to poke a seemingly clueless bird. Turn the page, and the yellow winged flicker bursts across the spread, flying off to safety. One scene shows him in Brooklyn, NY, observing a raptor carrying a hapless, tiny rodent in its talon. Small, black on white silhouettes adapted from Peterson's guides are also shown. Further biographical information, touching on such things as his three marriages, is appended, along with a note on The Peterson Effect, which helped people better appreciate the plight of birds and other animals. Thomas's prose and Jacques's art work in tandem to rescue Peterson from obscurity for this age range.—Anne Chapman Callaghan, Racine Public Library, WI

School Library Journal

Intrigued from childhood by the wildlife around him, Roger Tory Peterson grew up to publish, in 1934, the first pocket-sized bird guide, a book that drew people's attention to the natural world and grew into a series that eventually encompassed plants and animals all over the world.From cover to cover, this picture-book biography is filled with birds, just as the world must have seemed to the young naturalist as a child. Using language and imagery relevant to her topic, Thomas (Farmer George Plants a Nation, 2008) provides a lively chronological narrative. Regrettably obscured by the cover in places, the endpapers include a field-guide entry for this birder, including his habitat, identifying markings, voice and range. Jacques' hyper-realistic mixed-media paintings have sharp edges and blended shadows, giving the appearance of acrylics and collage digitally combined. Most fill a page, full bleed, opposite a page of text that has a bird, butterfly or airplane silhouette (Peterson wrote military handbooks during World War II) as well as spot art in black and white. One memorable page turn shows the boy about to touch a sleeping flicker and then, across a wordless spread, the startled flicker flying away, glowing yellow under its wings. An afterword describes "The Peterson Effect"—the increase in care for our environment. An excellent addition to the "sense of wonder" shelf. (bibliography) (Picture book/biography. 7-10)

Kirkus Reviews