One snowy owl's first year and its struggle to survive. Fed by his parents, Ookpik, which means "snowy owl" in the Inuit language, grows quickly in the short Arctic summer. By autumn he has learned to hunt on his own, but prey is scarce on the tundra that year. The owl's instincts tell him that he must leave this land or starve. Ookpik flies south, over the great forests of Canada, and finally lands in the United States, always searching for food and a winter hunting ground. With vivid watercolor illustrations, Bruce Hiscock depicts the changing landscape, from the treeless Arctic of Baffin Island to the dairy country of eastern New York. There, Ookpik settles for the winter, much to the delight of bird watchers. An author's note offers additional details on the life of the snowy owl.
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From School Library Journal
Grade 3–6—Hiscock has long been into "big"—think The Big Rock (S & S, 1988) and The Big Caribou Herd (Boyds Mills, 2003)-and here he focuses on North America's second-biggest owl. Snowies are Arctic dwellers whose sporadic irruptions into more southerly climes bring out birders with binoculars in bunches. Hiscock's realistic, detailed watercolors perfectly match his prose in this inviting "biography" of a typical Snowy during a cycle when lemmings, the birds' choice prey, are few. Following Ookpik from egg to hatchling to fledgling to a young adult forced into a southward flight to avoid starvation, the author presents not only the owl's general behaviors and preferred habitat, but also its coping skills in adapting to a biome not its own. A final page proffers a bundle of facts on Snowy owls-range, size, food, courtship and nesting behaviors, and more. Elegant and informative.—Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Though inspired by the sight of a snowy owl in New York State, this story begins on Baffin Island, where four eggs lie in a nest on the arctic tundra. The mother owl protects the eggs, which soon hatch, while the father provides food for his family by hunting lemmings. Two of the nestlings are taken by predators. The remaining male learns to fly and, in the fall, migrates south and finally lands on a farm in the Adirondacks. In the spring, he returns to his birthplace. An informative author’s note comments on the range, size, food, courtship, nesting, growth, and survival of snowy owls. Varied in composition, well focused, and often panoramic in effect, the watercolor paintings depict the snowy owl’s world as well as the bird himself. This handsome picture book tells and illustrates the story without sentimentality or anthropomorphism. The owl’s journey becomes an involving story for children and a fine addition to classroom units on migration. Grades K-3. --Carolyn Phelan
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is a beautiful, entrancing story of Oopik, a snowy owl!,
This review is from: Ookpik: The Travels of a Snowy Owl (Hardcover)
On the Arctic tundra a snowy owl carefully guarded her four eggs against predators. The unsuccessful fox was no match for Oopik. Oopik is the "word for `snowy owl' in Inuktitut, the Inuit language." She would sit on her nest for a month while her mate brought her food. At the end of June her chicks would begin to hatch from their eggs. By the end of the summer the tiny chicks would be on their own.Things began to change and food was becoming scarce. Ookpik would have to go south. There was little food, she almost collided with a truck . . . even after a thousand miles she would need to continue on. She flew past Ottawa and into the Adirondack Mountains of New York. Would she find enough food to live on? People began to gather, anxious to see her, but respectful of her space. Snowy owls live in the Arctic territories and are seldom seen in the United States or Canada except on rare occasions. They are not migratory birds and their only reason for travel is when food supply in their area is low and they need to travel. When they do head further south, word spreads rapidly and people flock to catch a glimpse of them. This is an excellent book to learn more about this elusive, magnificent creature. In the back of the book there is information about the range, size, food, life, courtship and nesting habits of the snowy owl. If you love Harry Potter's snowy owl Hedwig and want to know more about him, you've come to the right place!
4.0 out of 5 stars
great book,
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This review is from: Ookpik: The Travels of a Snowy Owl (Hardcover)
it came very slowly, but when it came i found that this was worth the little wait. its a great book
5.0 out of 5 stars
For Owl or Nature lovers,
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This review is from: Ookpik: The Travels of a Snowy Owl (Hardcover)
A beautiful story of a Snowy owl, from his beginnings to adulthood and the travel he undertakes to survive. Lovely watercolor pictures accompany the text. The story is based on fact and research and the authors own observations. I highly recommend this book.Ookpik: The Travels of a Snowy Owl
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