Wisdom, the Midway Albatross: Surviving the Japanese Tsunami and Other Disasters for Over 60 Years

by Darcy Pattison, Kitty Harvill (Illustrator)

Overview

**Starred Review in Publisher's Weekly**
WINNER: Writer's Digest Self-Published Award, Children's Picture Books
FINALIST: NextGen Indie Publishing Award, Juvenile Nonfiction.

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 60, she's still laying eggs and hatching chicks. It's a story of survival and hope amidst the difficulties of life. In 2013, she hatched a new chick at the age of 62. The chick is named Mana'olana, Hawaiian for Hope.

Kitty Harvill's portraits make this a biography in text and art.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780985213459
Publisher:	Mims House
Publication date:	06/11/2013
Pages:	34
Sales rank:	1,012,039
Product dimensions:	8.80(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	6 - 12 Years

About the Author

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.

Published in nine languages, children's book author and writing teacher DARCY PATTISON has been published with Harcourt, Philomel/Penguin, Harpercollins, Arbordale, and Mims House. Her books received recognition for excellence with starred reviews in Kirkus, BCCB and PW. Twice her books have been honored as National Science Teacher's Association Outstanding Science Trade books. The Journey of Oliver K. Woodman (Harcourt) received an Irma Simonton Black and James H. Black Award for Excellence in Children's Literature Honor Book award, was named a Notable Book in Language Arts, and has been reprinted in a Houghton Mifflin textbook.

Editorial 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

From the Publisher