Winter Moon (Seasons of the Moon) [Paperback]

Jean Craighead George (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Seasons of the Moon

Under the winter moon:

Survive an icy night under a December moon with a song sparrow stalked by a midnight predator in Ohio's suburban meadowland.

Navigate through underground passageways with a mole in the chilly darkness of December and January beneath the Great Plains of Kansas.

Experience January moonlit courtship with a hooting horned owl in the forests of the Catskill Mountains.

Prepare for hibernation with a female bear as February's ice crystals replace the dew in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.

In this series, acclaimed naturalist and Newbery Medal -- winning author Jean Craighead George takes readers on a wondrous journey through each season of the year as she captures the lives of thirteen different North American animals in their natural habitats.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Born in Washington, D.C. and raised in a family of naturalists, Jean George has centered her life around writing and nature. She attended Pennsylvania State University, graduating with degrees in English and science. In the 1940s she was a member of the White House press corps and a reporter for the Washington Post. Ms. George, who has written over 90 books - among them My Side of the Mountain (Dutton), a 1960 Newbery Honor Book, and its sequels On the Far Side of the Mountain and Frightful's Mountain (both Dutton) - also hikes, canoes, and makes sourdough pancakes. In 1991, Ms. George became the first winner of the School Library Media Section of the New York Library Association's Knickerbocker Award for Juvenile Literature, which was presented to her for the "consistent superior quality" of her literary works.

Her inspiration for the Newbery Medal-winning Julie of the Wolves evolved from two specific events during a summer she spent studying wolves and tundra at the Arctic Research Laboratory of Barrow, Alaska: "One was a small girl walking the vast ad lonesome tundra outside of Barrow; the other was a magnificent alpha male wolf, leader of a pack in Denali National Park ... They haunted me for a year or more, as did the words of one of the scientists at the lab: 'If there ever was any doubt in my mind that a man could live with the wolves, it is gone now. The wolves are truly gentlemen, highly social and affectionate.'"

The mother of three children, Jean George is a grandmother who has joyfully red to her grandchildren since they were born. Over the years Jean George has kept 173 pets, not including dogs and cats, in her home in Chappaqua, New York. "Most of these wild animals depart in autumn, when the sun changes their behavior and they feel the urge to migrate or go off alone. While they are with us, however, they become characters in my books, articles, and stories."

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (October 23, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064421708
• ISBN-13: 978-0064421706
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.2 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,405,444 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

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Spectacular Nature Writing, January 31, 2002

By 

Isabel Harding (Atlanta, GA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Winter Moon (Seasons of the Moon) (Paperback)

Newbery Medal-winning naturalist and acclaimed author Jean Craighead George wrote a series of stories in the late 1960's entitled The Thirteen Moons. Each of the thirteen books focused on a different wild animal struggling to survive in a different month of the year and a different part of the United States. The books were: THE MOON OF THE ALLIGATORS, BEARS, CHICKAREES, DEER, FOX PUPS, MOLES, MONARCH BUTTERFLIES, MOUNTAIN LIONS, OWLS, SALAMANDERS, WILD PIGS, WINTER BIRD, and GRAY WOLVES (see my review of these books under THE MOON OF THE OWLS). They had simple black-and-white drawings for illustrations and went out of print. Then in the early nineties the books were republished in handsome hardcover versions, with spectacular full-color paintings to complement Ms. George's original writing. Sadly, these books again went out of print. But now the thirteen books have been republished! They have been condensed into four paperbacks that revolve around the different seasons; AUTUMN MOON and WINTER MOON have already come out, SPRING and SUMMER MOON will be out in spring of 2002. At last this enchanting nature writing has been made easily available. The books are sure to be enjoyed by any person, young or old, who appreciates the natural world, its seasons, and its creatures. WINTER MOON features four stories--THE MOON OF THE WINTER BIRD (December), MOLES (December-January), OWLS (January), and BEARS (February). They are captivating and enjoyable, and very descriptive. Each one resonates with the kind of chilly coziness, combined with a sense of gloom and antagonism, that comes in winter time. You will shiver with the little song sparrow under the December moon; find your way through the underground darkness of a mole's lair; fly with the great horned owl through the Catskill Mountains; and wait for winter to be over with the hibernating black bear. Ms. George's words are lively and interesting and will draw you right into the stories. Also, some of the paintings from the early 90's versions of the books have been reproduced; however, they are not as fine quality to portray the scenes as wonderfully as they did in the out-of-print hardcover versions. Still, it is nice that they were included in the new paperback books. The colors are rich and accurate; I wish that more had been included. Jean Craighead George has written almost 100 books for young naturalists, among them JULIE OF THE WOLVES, MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN, the ONE DAY. . .series, and the ECO-MYSTERIES, so check these out as well. Also, musician Chris Kubie has released a spellbinding CD of the Thirteen Moons entitled MUSIC OF THE THIRTEEN MOONS. Read along with the music and you're sure to find a very enjoyable reading experience.