Customer Reviews

Peregrine'S Journey, The

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I found this book to be an excellent read-along book for 5-9 year olds. Behind the lovely writing style and beautiful pictures is a plot that invites lots of questions from kids about many different subjects. (And that's the way they learn!) The book follows the migration of peregrine falcons from the arctic, through the tropics and all the way to the sub-antarctic of Argentina. It was obviously well researched, yet it is not stuffy - it has heart! Highly recommended.

As a long-time birder I am always looking for ways to get children interested in the natural world. Since birds are one of the most obvious forms of natural animal life they are convenient for fostering interest in and concern for the world which our children will inherit. Documentaries such as "Winged Migration" and "The March of the Penguins" are great ways of introducing youngsters to bird migration and behavior. Now I have this wonderful book as an additional tool for informing and educating children in a fun and entertaining way.

This lavishly illustrated book follows the migration of a Tundra Peregrine Falcon as it leaves it's breading grounds in Northern Alaska and passes through:

* The Yukon Territory of Canada
* Rural British Columbia
* Seattle, Washington's cityscape
* The mountains of Utah
* The deserts of New Mexico
* The Texas coast
* The Gulf of New Mexico
* Guatemala
* Panama
* Columbia
* Brazil
* Bolivia
* And finally, it's wintering grounds in Argentina

Along the way learn about the bird's hunting, feeding, bathing and flying behaviors and well as it's favorite prey and most feared predator. If you have never witnessed a mass bird migration you have yet to see one of nature's most fascinating spectacles.

The text is well written and avoids the anthropomorphism which is often found in books about animals that are written for children. The facts of the bird's life and behavior are written in easy to understand language but are never inaccurate or "dumbed-down". In fact, the last page of the book includes more details and facts about this fascinating species of bird. Here we find that the book is based on the migration of a real falcon that was tracked along it's 8000 mile journey by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with the aid of satellites.

It is easy to see that the author, Madeleine Dunphy, is someone who truly understands and loves nature. This is not the type of children's book that will ever reach a huge audience as it does not include unicorns, magic, or talking animals. The Peregrine's Journey was obviously written as a labor of love by someone who wants to share her passion for the world on which we live with it's latest inhabitants. I will be buying copies for the children in my life!

This book is just wonderful! It is the story of a female peregrine falcon as she migrates from Alaska to Argentina, an 8,000 mile journey. The areas the falcon visits along the way are all beautifully illustrated - the mountains of Alaska and the Yukon, the autumn hills of British Columbia, a skyscraper in Seattle, the deserts of Utah and New Mexico, and seven other places as well. A map in the front of the book shows the route the peregrine follows and the different resting areas she visits along the way. The book is written as a story, but includes lots of interesting facts that are woven beautifully into the narrative. I highly recommend this book!

Madeleine Dunphy's "Here Is..." series of books are wonderful for read-alouds and for introducing young children to nature. My five-and-a-half-year old daughter loves the cumulative verse format and at first I thought "The Peregrine's Journey" would be similar to her "Here Is..." series of books, but it isn't. Instead it is written in the form of a narrative and follows a peregrine falcon as it migrates from Alaska to Argentina, a journey that spans 8,000 miles and two months by flight. As she flies, readers are taken on a journey through wondrous sights - from Yukon to thick foliage in British Columbia, the high-rises in Seattle to the desert landscape in Utah, New Mexico to the Texas coast, over the Gulf of Mexico, to Guatemala, Panama, Colombia, the rain forests of Brazil, the woodlands of Bolivia, and finally, Argentina.

Readers are also provided information as to the dietary habits of the peregrine, e.g. eating pigeons and doves that she finds along the way; how the peregrine cleans herself after meals; and the way she copes on the long journey. It is a vivid and interesting account which is complemented by the colorful and detailed illustrations. This is an excellent book for young readers and will motivate young children's interest in nature and geography. Recommended for school, public and home libraries.