Frightful's Daughter [Hardcover]

Jean Craighead George (Author), Daniel San Souci (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Fans of Sam Gribley and his falcon friend, Frightful, will thrill to Jean Craighead George's new book about these beloved characters. Now living in the wild, Frightful and her mate hatch three babies. The female, Oksi, "does things her own way" and, like her mother, is destined for greatness. Readers will follow her singular path from the time she breaks out of her rosy shell to her young adulthood, when Sam saves her life and they bond.

Jean George's themes--the interdependence of human and animal, respect for the wild, and the importance of nature--shine through in her storytelling. In the latest book in her best-selling wilderness series, she introduces a younger group of readers to that one mountain among thousands and the one boy, Sam, who lives there. With majestic, sweeping artwork of the sky and forest near Sam's mountain, Daniel San Souci adds his vision to the story of these noble, remarkable raptors and their human friends.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Newbery Medalist Jean Craighead George extends the audience for My Side of the Mountain with Frightful's Daughter, a picture book starring a peregrine offspring of that novel's feathered heroine. When two of Frightful's three babies are stolen, Sam Gribley (Frightful's human buddy from the novel) captures Oksi for safekeeping, bringing her to his home deep in the forest. Daniel San Souci's watercolors portray the falcon's grace and the beauty of the natural setting.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-4-Oksi, a peregrine falcon eyas (chick) hatched among the girders of a high, river-spanning bridge, doesn't always listen to her mother. This picture-book account of life's perils for endangered birds continues the story of Sam Gribley and his falcon Frightful, which George began in My Side of the Mountain and continued in two subsequent novels, On the Other Side of the Mountain and Frightful's Mountain (all Dutton, 2000). Illegal poaching is a continuing theme, and because she doesn't stay in the nest with her siblings, Oksi narrowly misses being caught. Sam's fortuitous appearance to rescue her strains credibility, but George still has a way with story in conveying the world of nature and the impact of humans on it. This tale follows the intrepid young bird through her year of growing up in captivity, returning to the wild, and coming back with her mate to build their first nest at Sam's forest home. San Souci's rust-toned views provide panoramic vistas of mountains and forest and a grand sense of the bridge as well as informative close-ups of the falcons and Sam's rustic dwelling. The drama of Oksi's brushes with danger, the romanticized connection between Sam and the birds, and the satisfying denouement provide a pleasing introduction to the peregrine falcon. Sam's previous involvement with Frightful is deftly incorporated, and the story stands on its own. It could also serve as a nice introduction to My Side of the Mountain for children ready to read or listen to the longer book.
Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile (September 16, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525469079
• ISBN-13: 978-0525469070
• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 8.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #693,274 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jean Craighead George was born in a family of naturalists. Her father, mother, brothers, aunts and uncles were students of nature. On weekends they camped in the woods near their Washington, D.C. home, climbed trees to study owls, gathered edible plants and made fish hooks from twigs. Her first pet was a turkey vulture. In third grade she began writing and hasn't stopped yet. She has written over 100 books.Her book, Julie of the Wolves won the prestigious Newbery Medal, the American Library Association's award for the most distinguished contribution to literature for children, l973. My Side of the Mountain, the story of a boy and a falcon surviving on a mountain together, was a 1960 Newbery Honor Book. She has also received 20 other awards.She attended Penn State University graduating with a degree in Science and Literature. In the 1940s she was a reporter for The Washington Post and a member of the White House Press Corps. After her children were born she returned to her love of nature and brought owls, robins, mink, sea gulls, tarantulas - 173 wild animals into their home and backyard. These became characters in her books and, although always free to go, they would stay with the family until the sun changed their behavior and they migrated or went off to seek partners of their own kind.When her children, Twig, Craig and Luke, were old enough to carry their own backpacks, they all went to the animals. They climbed mountains, canoed rivers, hiked deserts. Her children learned about nature and Jean came home and to write books. Craig and Luke are now environmental scientists and Twig writes children's books, too.One summer Jean learned that the wolves were friendly, lived in a well-run society and communicated with each other in wolf talk -- sound, sight, posture, scent and coloration. Excited to learn more, she took Luke and went to the Naval Arctic Research Laboratory in Barrow, Alaska, where scientists were studying this remarkable animal. She even talked to the wolves in their own language. With that Julie of the Wolves was born. A little girl walking on the vast lonesome tundra outside Barrow, and a magnificent alpha male wolf, leader of a pack in Denali National Park were the inspiration for the characters in the book. Years later, after many requests from her readers, she wrote the sequels, Julie and Julie's Wolf Pack.She is still traveling and coming home to write. In the last decade she has added two beautiful new dimensions to her words beautiful full-color picture book art by Wendell Minor and others and - music. Jean is collaborating with award-winning composer, Chris Kubie to bring the sounds of nature to her words.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nobility Soars!, December 7, 2006

By 

BeatleBangs1964 (United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Frightful's Daughter (Hardcover)

Fewer things are as beautiful as a falcon in flight. The illustrations in this book are nothing short of spectacular and readers will love them along with the wonderful stories of Frightful, the falcon-gentle who was introduced in the "My Side of the Mountain" series. Readers got to know Frightful and her human friend, Sam from "My Side of the Mountain," "The Other Side of the Mountain" and "Frightful's Mountain" and grew to love her as Sam did.

Frightful, once secured her independence has 3 eyas (young raptors). Two of the little falcons are stolen and it is up to Sam, the boy who bonded with Frightful early in her life to recover them. He brings the remaining bird to his home where she will be safe.

The young falcon is quite independent and not apt to heed the warnings of Frightful, who knows all too well the dangers in the world. Oksi, the young falcon-gentle has her own mind about the world as she knows it. Poaching is a real danger and Oksi refuses to stay put in her aerie (raptor's nest) with the other two birds. She is nearly captured by poachers.

Readers go on harrowing adventures with the young raptor as she lives a year as a captive; her successful return to the wild and finding a mate to build an aerie near where Sam lives. It is heartwarming that Sam has has such a way with these incredibly beautiful, majestic birds.

The illustrations will delight readers further as they glide through this delightful book on falcon's wings.

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Book, December 22, 2008

By 

M.Halsted (Rochester, NY) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Frightful's Daughter (Hardcover)

The books arrived in great shape. They were bigger than I expected. My 10 yr old nephew was glad to have them, but I think he would have preferred they were smaller and paper back, not hard cover.
Over all, beautifull illustrations.