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Searching... Tuckahoe Library | Children's book | 38674106056326 | JUV 598.0723 HOOSE | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Twin Hickory Library | Children's book | 38674112888233 | JUV 598.0723 HOOSE | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
B95 can feel it: a stirring in his bones and feathers. It's time. Today is the day he will once again cast himself into the air, spiral upward into the clouds, and bank into the wind.
He wears a black band on his lower right leg and an orange flag on his upper left, bearing the laser inscription B95. Scientists call him the Moonbird because, in the course of his astoundingly long lifetime, this gritty, four-ounce marathoner has flown the distance to the moon--and halfway back!
B95 is a robin-sized shorebird, a red knot of the subspecies rufa. Each February he joins a flock that lifts off from Tierra del Fuego, headed for breeding grounds in the Canadian Arctic, nine thousand miles away. Late in the summer, he begins the return journey.
B95 can fly for days without eating or sleeping, but eventually he must descend to refuel and rest. However, recent changes at ancient refueling stations along his migratory circuit--changes caused mostly by human activity--have reduced the food available and made it harder for the birds to reach. And so, since 1995, when B95 was first captured and banded, the worldwide rufa population has collapsed by nearly 80 percent. Most perish somewhere along the great hemispheric circuit, but the Moonbird wings on. He has been seen as recently as November 2011, which makes him nearly twenty years old. Shaking their heads, scientists ask themselves: How can this one bird make it year after year when so many others fall?
National Book Award-winning author Phillip Hoose takes us around the hemisphere with the world's most celebrated shorebird, showing the obstacles rufa red knots face, introducing a worldwide team of scientists and conservationists trying to save them, and offering insights about what we can do to help shorebirds before it's too late. With inspiring prose, thorough research, and stirring images, Hoose explores the tragedy of extinction through the triumph of a single bird. Moonbird is one The Washington Post 's Best Kids Books of 2012.
A Common Core Title.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 6 Up-Phillip Hoose describes a year in the life of a rufa red knot (shorebird)-how they fatten themselves during the Argentinean winters, fly to the Canadian arctic to breed, and mate and raise their young in the far north before making the long trip back to Tierra del Fuego in the fall. He offers, in sidebars, short profiles of biologists who study these birds, descriptions of specific environments, and portraits of ecological programs that work to protect shorebirds. Hoose paints a fascinating portrait of one tough little red knot called B95, who is probably almost 20 years old. It is highly unusual for a wild bird to survive for so long, especially one who migrates almost 18,000 miles each year. B95 has been nicknamed "Moonbird" since he has flown the distance to the moon and part way back. Hoose reads his own book (Farrar, Straus, 2012) in a clear, friendly voice, easily conveying emotions and animating the text. Have the book available so listeners can peruse the many wonderful photographs as well as the URLs of many interesting websites since the recitation of this information is not the most effective means of presentation. A delightful audiobook.-Geri Diorio, Ridgefield Library, CT (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
National Book Award-winner Hoose (Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice) introduces readers to the small rufa red knot shorebird known as B95, which makes an 18,000-mile migratory circuit from the bottom of the world to the top and back again each year. "Something about this bird was exceptional; he seemed to possess some extraordinary combination of physical toughness, navigational skill, judgment, and luck," writes Hoose. Eight chapters offer an extraordinarily detailed look at everything red knot, from a description of its migratory paths and the food found at each stopover to the physiology of its bill and factors that threaten the species with extinction. Profiles of bird scientists or activists conclude most chapters. The information-packed narrative jumps between past and present as it follows a postulated migration of B95, accompanied by numerous sidebars, diagrams, maps, and full-color photographs. Readers will appreciate Hoose's thorough approach in contextualizing this amazing, itinerant creature that was last spotted in 2011. Those motivated to action will find an appendix of ways to get involved. An index, extensive source notes, and bibliography are included. Ages 10-up. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
He's called "Moonbird" because, over a lifespan of twenty years, he's flown some 325,000 miles, the distance to the moon and almost halfway back. This robin-sized red knot (subspecies rufa), a shorebird, is in southern Argentina from October to February and in the Arctic, breeding, for a few summer weeks; between times, his great migrating flock is like a "constantly shifting organism -- now a ball, now a rippling blanket" as the birds fly nearly from pole to pole twice a year. Stops are few but strategic; after thousands of miles it's essential to bulk up with what's available at the same few sites each year: mosquito larvae, mussels, horseshoe crab eggs. Thanks to banding and photography by scientists, who call him B95, sightings are documented since 1995 (when adult plumage indicated B95's age to be at least three years). Even for his species, B95 is extraordinary -- "one of the world's premier athletes" -- but Hoose's fascinating account concerns much more than this one bird. In lucid, graceful prose, Hoose details the red knots' characteristics and strategies, sampling far-flung challenges to their survival (e.g., fishermen harvesting horseshoe crabs in crucial stopover Delaware Bay). He describes research methods (cannon nets, banding), profiles scientists in international cooperation as well as activist kids, and takes a sobering look at longterm prospects for survival not just of the rufa but of most species on earth. Glorious full-page color photographs alternate with excellent smaller photos (including one of B95 taken on November 25, 2011) and many good, helpful maps in a highly informative progression of images. Exemplary source notes, including many interviews, plus acknowledgments and picture credits; a bibliography; and an index. joanna rudge long (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
As he did in The Race to Save the Lord God Bird (2004), Hoose explores the tragedy of extinction through a single bird species, but there is hope for survival in this story, and that hope is pinned on understanding the remarkable longevity of a single bird. B95 is a 4-ounce, robin-sized shorebird, a red knot of the subspecies rufa. Each February he joins a flock that lifts off from Tierra del Fuego and heads for breeding grounds in the Canadian Arctic, 9,000 miles away. Late in the summer, he begins the return journey. Scientists call him Moonbird because, in the course of his astoundingly long lifetime of nearly 20 years, he has flown the distance to the moon and halfway back. B95 can fly for days without eating or sleeping but eventually must land to refuel and rest. Recent changes, however, at refueling stations along his migratory circuit, most caused by human activity, have reduced the available food. Since 1995, when B95 was captured and banded, the rufa population has collapsed by nearly 80 percent. Scientists want to know why this one bird survives year after year when so many others do not. In a compelling, vividly detailed narrative, Hoose takes readers around the hemisphere, showing them the obstacles rufa red knots face, introducing a global team of scientists and conservationists, and offering insights about what can be done to save them before it's too late. Meticulously researched and told with inspiring prose and stirring images, this is a gripping, triumphant story of science and survival. (photographs, source notes, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 10 up)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Hoose, the author of The Race to Save the Lord God Bird (2004) and the heavily awarded Claudette Colvin: Twice toward Justice (2009), now turns his attention to another endangered bird, the rufa red knot. He focuses on one, B95 (dubbed Moonbird by researchers), which he calls one of the world's premiere athletes, explaining that though weighing a mere four ounces, he's flown more than 325,000 miles in his lifetime. Each year red knots like Moonbird fly from their winter home in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, to their breeding grounds in the Canadian Arctic, a journey of 9,000 miles. B95, now 20 years old, has made this remarkable flight 18 or more times. In this beautifully written and meticulously researched book, Hoose provides a complete account of the red knots' physiology, their flight patterns, feeding habits, habitats, and more. He also writes about those who study the birds and struggle to preserve the endangered species, which has dwindled in numbers from some 150,000 to less than 25,000. In addition to his attention to the birds, Hoose profiles those who study them and also provides a generous number of photographs, maps, and sidebar features that dole out background and ancillary material. His appendix includes elaborate source notes and an extensive bibliography. Sure to be one of the most well-received information books of the year, and deservedly so. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Hoose's stature as a preeminent nonfiction author combined with the high-interest animal hook will generate hearty attention and enthusiasm for this one.--Cart, Michael Copyright 2010 Booklist
