Despite this chronicle's suspenseful title, this particular race seems to be over, and the Ivory-billed woodpecker (whose observers gasped, "Lord God!") appears to have lost. Those who raced to save the Ivory-bill and its Southern U.S. habitat, reports Hoose (We Were There, Too!), were neither as swift nor as wealthy as those who raced to shoot it and turn its preferred sweet-gum trees into lumber. Yet Hoose shares a compelling tale of a species' decline and, in the process, gives a history of ornithology, environmentalism and the U.S. With memorable anecdotes from naturalist writers, he tells how researchers such as John James Audubon shot Ivory-bills for study; later, binoculars, cameras and sound equipment changed scientific methods. Hoose also charts pre-Endangered Species Act collecting, when people responded to a rare bird by killing and stuffing it. In 1924, a pair of Ivory-bills were spotted in Florida, but soon vanished; "[collectors] had asked the county sheriff for a permit to hunt them." Further, Hoose explains how wars and the changing economy brought timber companies and the free labor of German POWs to devastate the Ivory-bills' virgin forests. In restrained language, he tells a tragic tale. His liveliest chapters concern James Tanner, the Ivory-bills' champion, who camped in swamps and climbed giant trees to document a few birds in the 1930s. "Can we get smart enough fast enough to save what remains of our biological heritage?" Hoose asks in conclusion. To him, the Ivory-bill represents no less than wilderness itself; readers will sense the urgency that remains, even if the Ivory-bill is gone. Ages 12-up. (Aug.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
The efforts to save the Ivory-billed Woodpecker from extinction is the primary focus of this book, but the story line has the intrigue of a novel as it moves from nineteenth-century collectors to more modern naturalists who use binoculars, cameras, and sound machines to get permanent records of the bird. The story begins in North Carolina in 1809 with the father of ornithology in the United States, Alexander Wilson. It ends with a major unsuccessful effort to locate the bird in Louisiana in 2002. More than producing a book on a single bird or the conservation ethic, text and photos provide a history of the country from a wilderness with seemingly limitless wildlife to the nation of today's limited resources. It includes the birth of the Audubon Society, the "Plume War," economics of the lumber industry, and recent attempts to preserve habitat. Sidebars and notes provide insight and documentation without detracting from the story line. The combination of the best of storytelling supported by extensive research makes this book valuable for the social sciences as well as for the natural sciences. A wide range of students, even reluctant readers, will be fascinated by the text and photos. This book is certainly unique and a must for any library serving youth or teachers. VOYA CODES: 5Q 4P M J S (Hard to imagine it being any better written; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2004, Farrar Straus Giroux, 208p.; Glossary. Index. Illus. Photos. Maps. Source Notes. Chronology., $20. Ages 11 to 18.
—Marilyn Brien
An informative book that reads like a story, this nonfiction work recounts the human fascination with the giant woodpecker, the Ivory-bill. Once a native of the southern United States and Cuba, the bird was most likely harried by loss of habitat and finally hunted to extinction. Hoose organizes his fascinating account chronologically. Along the way, he gives glimpses of John James Audubon at work, of collectors who shot their specimens to study them, of people using other methods to study birds such as recording or "shooting with a mike" that arose in the 1930s, of Jim Tanner whose deeply informed study of the Ivory-bill lasted for over half a century, other extinctions, and many other aspects of ecology and avian study of the times. Sidebars, such as the bird's many aliases (Log-cock, Pearly Bill, Indian Hen), archival photos (women with feathered hats), and side trips into the symbiotic role of insects and Ivory-bills make readers think about this marvel of nature. Essential back matter includes a chapter-by-chapter narrative of sources that suggest further compelling historical reading, a time line of important dates in the protection of birds, glossary, and an index. There is little hope for another sighting of the Lord God Bird (Hoose hedges slightly until Cuba is open for birders). The author mentions some of the "gifts" the bird left us: much improved recording devices, a model study of a bird and a conservation plan, the rise of the Nature Conservancy and its plan to save wild land, and more awareness of birds. Destined to become a classic in the field, this book is essential reading for any birder and a rousing story for all, even those who thought they weren't much interested.2004, Melanie Kroupa/Farrar Straus Giroux, Ages 12 up.
—Susan Hepler, Ph.D.
Gr 6 Up-This meticulously researched labor of love uses drama, suspense, and mystery to tell the story of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, the first modern endangered species. Its story is also the story of America, its economics and its politics, its settlement and its development, its plume hats and its environmental protection laws. In 1800, the large and impressive woodpecker lived in the southeastern United States, from Texas to the Carolinas and as far north as Indiana. By 1937, it could be found on only one tract of land in northeastern Louisiana. Its last confirmed sighting was in Cuba in 1987. Hoose skillfully introduces each individual involved through interesting, historically accurate scenes. Readers meet John James Audubon as well as less familiar people who played a part in the Ivory-bill story as artists, collectors, ornithologists, scientists, and political activists. Sharp, clear, black-and-white archival photos and reproductions appear throughout. The author's passion for his subject and high standards for excellence result in readable, compelling nonfiction, particularly appealing to young biologists and conservationists.-Laurie von Mehren, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Brecksville, OH Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
With power and humor, rage and sorrow, the narrative details the demise of the Lord God bird, braiding into its tale the stories of those who came into contact with it, from J.J. Audubon himself to James Tanner...Sidebars add engrossing details, and extensive back matter bespeaks exemplary nonfiction. But it's the author's passion that compels. Outstanding in every way.” —Starred, Kirkus Reviews
“In a thoroughly researched account based on interviews, primary materials, and published sources, Hoose tells how naturalists...raised, too late, awareness of the Ivory-bill's plight. Illustrated with archival photos and well provided with side bars, "important dates," maps, glossary, and index, this important summary of an environmental tragedy belongs in every library.” —The Horn Book
“This meticulously researched labor of love uses drama, suspense, and mystery to tell the story of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker...Hoose skillfully introduces each individual involved through interesting, historically accurate scenes. The author's passion for his subject and high standards for excellence result in readable, compelling nonfiction.” —Starred, School Library Journal
“The combination of the best of storytelling supported by extensive research...a must for any library serving youth or teachers.” —VOYA
“A compelling tale...readers will sense the urgency that remains, even if the Ivory-bill is gone.” —Publishers Weekly
“Hoose is a gifted storyteller. An engrossing story.” —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
“Fascinating, engrossing.” —Book Links
