City Hawk: The Story of Pale Male [Hardcover]

Meghan McCarthy (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 11, 2007 | Age Level: 4 and up

There's a hawk in the city!

New York City is known for its sky-scrapers, subways, and hustle and bustle -- not for its wildlife. So everyone is surprised when a red-tailed hawk is spotted flying over Fifth Avenue, and even more surprised when he decides to settle down on the ledge of one of the Big Apple's swankiest apartment buildings.

The hawk soon draws many admirers. They name him Pale Male and watch as he builds his nest, finds a mate, and teaches his little hawk babies to fly.

Based on the true story of Pale Male, City Hawk brings New York City's favorite hawk to life in a story of family, perseverance, and big-city living.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Featuring similarly spare paintings as Jeanette Winters's The Tale of Pale Male: A True Story, McCarthy's (Aliens Are Coming!) book covers much of the same turf—and air space—as that spring release. McCarthy concisely chronicles the true, reportedly unprecedented occurrence of two red-tailed hawks' construction of a nest in the cornice of a swanky apartment building on Manhattan's Upper East Side. From nearby Central Park, a group of bird-watchers who called themselves the Regulars vigilantly followed Pale Male and Lola's every move and rejoiced when two chicks hatched. The other headline-grabbing aspect of these hawks' tale—the building's residents, irked by the birds' messy habits, successfully lobbied to get the nest removed, then, in response to passionate protests, reversed their decision—is explained in a lengthy author's note. Combining vibrant and earth tones, McCarthy's unadorned acrylic illustrations have a puckish quality, both her human and winged characters incarnated as amiable bug-eyed creatures who express themselves through the slant of their mouths (or tilt of their beaks). A portion of the proceeds from sales of this book will benefit New York City Audubon. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)
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Review

"A must for all collections." -- School Library Journal

“A lovable story.”—Wild Bird magazine

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books; 1 edition (September 11, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 141693359X
• ISBN-13: 978-1416933595
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 9.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #458,783 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Publishers Weekly said "McCarthy's humor is right on target for mischievous younger readers." Her work has also been called "bold," "whimsical," "wacky," and "terribly amusing." Her nonfiction has been called "light hearted but well researched" and "action
packed."

For more information than you'd ever want to know about Meghan and her books, go to www.meghan-mccarthy.com & www.aliensarecoming.com. Once you enter you'll have a hard time leaving! Lots of free stuff! Fun for the parents! Fun for the kids! Fun for everyone!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-read for any resident of New York City, December 11, 2007

By 

N. Gruppuso "Photographer" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: City Hawk: The Story of Pale Male (Hardcover)

City Hawk is a wonderful story about a real-life red-tailed hawk that decides to make New York City his home. The illustrations are charming and give an accurate picture of what life for a city hawk is really like. This book will appeal to both children and adults, especially those who live in New York and want to know more about their fellow resident, Pale Male.

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice book, September 11, 2011

By 

Jennifer Arrow - See all my reviews

This review is from: City Hawk: The Story of Pale Male (Hardcover)

My 17-mo son really enjoys this book. He's learned the word "hawk" and the names Pale Male (he gets confused now when the mail comes) and Lola. I started singing "Lola, she was a show girl" to him when we talked about Lola, and eventually played him a recording of Barry Manilow's "Copacabana." Now when I get to the part of the story where Lola comes in he starts dancing around because he rememebers the song. My husband liked the historical background on Central Park from the back of the book. Apparently Lola and Pale Male are over in real life, but they'll always be my NYC red-tailed hawk "It couple" thanks to this book.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great first nonfiction book, May 24, 2008

By 

E. Fox (Oregon Coast USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: City Hawk: The Story of Pale Male (Hardcover)

This fresh, exciting, and informative story would be a great choice for a child's or classroom's first nonfiction book. Illustrations are vivid and easy to relate to, and the text - complex enough for competent early readers, but perfect for a read-aloud - is engaging. City Hawk tells the true story of a pair of hawks who unexpectedly and uncharacteristically nest and rear their young outside the window of a Central Park apartment. One thing I really like about this is that the author does not anthropomorphize the birds and their plight, but lets the reader follow their story as if they were bird-watching along with the NYC regulars. A portion of the sales of this book go towards the Audubon Society's NYC chapter and helps "support protection of wild birds and habitat in the five boroughs."