Audubon: Painter of Birds in the Wild Frontier
Grade 2-5-This stunning picture book presents intriguing episodes from the life of the acclaimed American naturalist. The flowing narrative engages readers' interest and simply does not let go. Armstrong guides youngsters through the wilderness that Audubon traveled, relating the experiences that helped to shape his artistry. His meeting with frontiersman Daniel Boone, the evening he shared the inside of a tree with 9000 swifts, and his survival of an earthquake are retold in spellbinding detail. Smith's watercolor illustrations are so lifelike that one can virtually feel the beat of the swans' wings as the birds attack a pack of wolves. Several samples of Audubon's own artwork add to the artistic appeal of the book. The text is well documented, combining a mixture of primary and secondary source materials. While a smidgen of historical license has been taken in order to create drama, it does not detract from the overall usefulness of the work as nonfiction. It is far more engaging than Robert Burleigh's Into the Woods: John James Audubon Lives His Dream (Atheneum, 2003). A must-have for most collections.Robyn Walker, Elgin Court Public School, St. Thomas, Ontario, CanadaCopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.