Hawk Hill - Hardcover

Gilbert, Suzie

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0811808394 ISBN 13: 9780811808392

Publisher: Chronicle Books Llc, 1996

Synopsis

When Pete moves to a new town, he can't seem to make any friends. But one day, Pete takes a new road home from school, and what he discovers changes him forever. Suzie Gilbert's lyrical text is paired perfectly with magnificent watercolor paintings by best-selling artist and avid bird watcher, Sylvia Long. The spectacular images, carefully researched, capture the world from both a human and bird's-eye view, while a detailed glossary of birds and information about raptor rehabilitation underscore the importance of keeping the natural world wild. Hawk Hill is a poignant reminder that hope and friendship are often found in unexpected places.

About this title

About the Author:

Suzie Gilbert has done everything from working for the National Hockey League to galloping racehorses to raising free-range chickens and sheep. She currently lives in Garrison, New York where she often works as a volunteer at the Hudson Valley Raptor Cente

Sylvia Long is the illustrator of several books for children including the best sellers Ten Little Rabbits and Alejandro's Gift. Ms. Long's detailed paintings are inspired by her love of animals and the outdoors. She lives in Arizona. Read more about Sylvi

Review:

Diffident and lonely after moving to a new town, Pete finds solace on a hilltop where he can gaze up at hawks reeling in the sky. When he happens upon a nearby farmstead, he is met by a gruff, uncommunicative woman who rescues injured raptors. She carries a wounded red-tailed hawk. Captivated by the feathered victim, Pete returns day after day to the rehabilitator's barn without her welcome. Initially the taciturn woman has no use for the boy. But in the silence between them, a mutual fascination begins to speak. Debut author Gilbert's text--as loquacious as its characters are laconic--draws readers easily and gently into Pete's world In the warm light and realistic characterizations of Long's October, 1996

--SMITHSONIAN
When a lonely boy who loves birds begins to share in the rescue of injured raptors, he finds hope, friendship and a profound connection with wild creatures. The striking paintings, paired with an eloquent text, make for the finest natural history title of the year.

--SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, November 1996
A wealth of information on raptors can easily be absorbed from this readable story of a shy boy who becomes a helper at a wildlife rehabilitation center. At first frightened and yet fascinated, Pete learns from the quiet, competent woman who treats the injured birds that they must be tended, strengthened over many weeks or months, and then returned to the wild. He grows in knowledge and con-fidence as he develops a friendship with the older woman. A picture dictionary of 14 common North American raptors is appended to the book, but it is the clear, pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations that capture the beauty and fierce power of these birds. Small individual portraits face full-page, bordered paintings that picture the activities of the rehabilitation center. Double-page pictures at intervals show the birds in flight high in cloudless skies and looking down on vast tracts of earth. This is a fine introduction to the world of raptors and to the patient work of the nature lovers who care for the wounded and helpless birds. It satisfies both as a narrative and as a well-researched source of information that can be used with science projects or read aloud to a class.

--BOOKLIST, November 1996.
Breathtaking paintings of raptors are the star attraction in this picture book for middle-grade readers. Taking a new route home from school, raptorphile Pete discovers a hospital for wounded birds of prey. It is run by a quiet old woman named Mary; the two connect when Pete helps her bandage the leg of a wounded owl. As the months go by, Mary, who is a rehabilitator, teaches Pete almost everything there is to know about the captivating birds. A storyline about Pete's adjustment to moving is unnecessary. What matters here is the relationship he develops with the birds and, more important, with Mary. As she did in the warm ecological fable, (1994), Long presents a convincing physical portrait--wrinkles and all--of a compassionate elderly person. The 14 hawks, eagles, owls, falcons, and osprey come to life through exquisite detailing and rich colors. Endnotes provide brief information about each species.

About this edition

• Publisher: Chronicle Books Llc
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0811808394
• ISBN 13: 9780811808392
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 40
• Illustrator: Long Sylvia