The Falcon's Feathers (A Stepping Stone Book(TM))

Book Description

F is for Falcon...When Josh discovers a nest of young falcons in the forest, he, Dink, and Ruth Rose start visiting every day. Until the morning they find it empty! Then the kids discover a wounded falcon with its wing feathers clipped, and they know someone's up to no good. Can they figure out what's going on before it's too late to save the falcons?

Customer Reviews:

A to Z Mystery Series.......2007-01-11

I am reading this entire series with my six year old son. He read the Absent Author in school and talked about it so much at home that we started buying all of the books. The reading level is above his abilities (1st grade), but it makes for a quick read together. Perfect length for reading a couple of chapters together before bed at night. He has passed each one on to a second grade friend who is reading through them on his own very quickly as well. It's a fun series with age appropriate material that my child and I both can enjoy together.

Birds and Pencils.......2001-01-06

I liked the Falcon's Feather because Josh likes to draw the birds and I like to draw too. He likes birds and so do I. I like A to Z mysteries because you always have to find out who the criminal is. But I'm not going to tell you who the criminal is in this story! I'm in second grade and I think this book is really cool.

Good and fast reading book........1998-10-15

Exciting mystery book about rare birds. The ending was less surprising then the prior for books in the series.The author introduced two new characters: Grace Lockwood and Doc Henry.

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My Review
Good... but not as good as the first
Only worth reading to complete the series...
Survivor of the Wild
Frightful's babies, a kids review

Frightful's Mountain
Jean Craighead Craighead George
Manufacturer: Puffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0141312351
Release Date: 2001-05-01

Amazon.com

Fans of Jean Craighead George's My Side of the Mountain (a Newbery Honor Book) and On the Far Side of the Mountain will be delighted to return to upstate New York's Catskill Mountains for the conclusion of her trilogy, which appears 40 years after the first title's publication in 1959. Written because a young fan asked, "What happened to Frightful?" this volume tells how Sam Gribley's peregrine falcon--that's Frightful--has to make her own way in the world after Sam is forced to release her. Although told in the third person, the story is developed entirely from the bird's point of view. George's narrative follows the falcon through a series of dangerous adventures (involving DDT, electricity lines, and unscrupulous bird traders, to name a few) as she learns to depend on her own instincts. The environmental message is slightly heavy-handed, but it's wrapped in an enjoyable story from a much loved and astoundingly prolific author. You don't need to have read the earlier books to make sense of this one, though it may help. (Ages 9 and older) --Richard Farr

Book Description

It is illegal to harbor an endangered bird, so when Frightful returns to Sam, the boy who raised her, he has to chase her away. Frightful doesn't know how to live alone in the wild, and she can't feed herself, mate, brood chicks, or migrate. She struggles to survive and gradually learns to enjoy her new freedom. But Frightful feels a bond with Sam that can never be broken, and more than anything else, she wants to return to him.

"Fans of My Side of the Mountain will be glad to revisit Sam Gribley in this sequel."
-The Horn Book

"Frightful's Mountain is a novel that will change the way you look at the world."
-The New York Times Book Review

Customer Reviews:

My Review.......2006-11-27

Frightful's Mountain by Jean Craighead George is a thriller that continues My Side of the Mountain and On the Far Side of the Mountain. This book is about Frightful, a domestic pergerine falcon in the wilderness. She learns to have young, eat right, and her instinct comes back to her.

This book is exciting because Frightful gets captured, she escapes, got injured, had young on a bridge, and meets a handsome male falcon. I would recommend this book to adults. I encourage adults to read the book, and animal lovers, too.

Good... but not as good as the first.......2006-09-12

I really liked this book, but I have to say, it is not as good as the first book. This book is about Frightful becoming a mother, and pretty much most of her life. I liked this book alot, even though I didn't like it as much as the first one.

Only worth reading to complete the series..........2006-09-12

This is a bad, bad book. I read 'My Side of the Mountain' numerous times as a child and throughout the years and never knew there were sequels which I happily raced off to request from my local library. The first book, published in 1959 and we as readers needed to assume that the story takes place at the time of the writing. Yet here in the third book, chronologically only two years after 'My Side', people now have push button phones, automated phone answering systems and cell phones. These anachronisms as well as the horribly stilted dialog (nearly insultingly simple in places and more reminiscent of Grammar School writing class than a world class novelist) ruin this book. I don't know what lead Ms. George to leap the story into the future but, at least in my opinion, it was a poorly thought out choice. 'On the Far Side of the Mountain' was a good if hard to believe sequel to 'My Side of the Mountain' this doesn't even come close to the quality or engaging read of the previous two. As my title says, this is only worth reading to complete the series. On it's own it's a poorly written, completely unbelievable story. I was terribly disappointed.

Survivor of the Wild.......2005-11-23

Frightful is now alone and away from Sam. She has been with Sam for years hunting and living with him. Without his help, she has to survive. After trying numerous times to migrate south, Frightful is left with no choice but to stay. Food is scarce and Frightful is having problems until Jon Wood takes her in. She was fried by a connection made between two wires by her. In the spring, she is let go to the wild again, this time it is mating season. She must find a mate or she might not survive. Will Frightful mate? Will she ever migrate south like the other Peregrines? Find out as you join Frightful in her journey to survive in the wild.
I liked many aspects of this book. I liked that the Author made you keep reading and kept you interested in the story throughout the novel. I also like that Frightful didn't die after being fried by the electric current. If she would have died the story would have ended to abruptly. I would not have liked this. I disliked some things in this book like the fact that Frightful didn't migrate south the first time in this book. It would have made the book more interesting and long.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes adventure and suspenseful books. I recommend you read the first two books in this series before this book. Those books lead up to this book.

Frightful's babies, a kids review.......2005-10-12

It was about falcon poachers and frightfuls babies. When frightful was having her second nest she laid 3 eggs, but on the fifth week poachers dressed as wild life people took two of the babies. And then they found them again at the lodge in the poachers bag. When they found them the other baby that had not been stolen was already grown and when this book finished the baby that was already grown went back to Sam's mountain and looked for a mate. It was really interesting because I got to learn something about birds. I think kids 8 and up should read this book to know something about birds.

On the Wing: To the Edge of the Earth with the Peregrine Falcon

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I felt part of the experience
On the Wing - High Drama over the Americas
would have been nice to have some dates
Be prepared to be amazed
ON THE WING To the Edge of the Earth with the Peregrine Falc

On the Wing: To the Edge of the Earth with the Peregrine Falcon
Alan Tennant
Manufacturer: Anchor
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1400031826
Release Date: 2005-10-11

Amazon.com

On a mission to map the migration of the peregrine falcon, Alan Tennant and his friend George Vose logged thousands of miles in a rattletrap Cessna. On the Wing is as much quest narrative as nature book, and the tale of the two men's voyage is unforgettable. At their first meeting, when Tennant suggested that they track a radio-tagged falcon by air, WWII vet Vose assessed naturalist Tennant with a keen eye. "Aviation takes intestinal fortitude, Mister. You were pretty green up there today. Calm air, too." Nevertheless, Tennant convinced the gruff pilot that the project was worthy, and they set off, soaring north over the dunes of Gulf Coast barrier islands. The falcon was just a beeping signal to them most of the time, but they became obsessed with its movements. In the small cockpit, they shared extremes of disappointment and elation as they dealt with bad weather, lost signals, run-ins with the Army, and equipment problems. They ended up posing as highway patrol officers, crossing international borders, and risking their lives in order to keep on the track of their wayward subject. Threaded into the funny and moving adventure story, Tennant scatters casual snippets of science--peregrine falcon biology, pesticide toxicology, and the little-understood fact of animal migration itself. The facts never get in the way of the fun, though--this is real Wild Kingdom action. --Therese Littleton

Book Description

In this extraordinary journey, Alan Tennant recounts his attempt to track the transcontinental migration of the majestic peregrine falcon — an investigation no one before him had ever taken to such lengths. From the windswept flats of the Texas barrier islands to the Artic and then south again into the Caribbean, On the Wing provides a hilariously picaresque and bumpy flight.

Customer Reviews:

I felt part of the experience.......2006-12-09

The straightforward account held me spellbound. I felt the author/reader had an honest heart and had no choice but to pursue his quest. The telling of his experiences was informative and interesting. I was captivated and wished the book hadn't ended.

On the Wing - High Drama over the Americas.......2006-03-30

What drew me to this book was its Title. I am a keen falconer and have kept various birds of prey for many years. This book combines the authors undoubted love and fascination for the natural world with a powerful personal drama - two mens quest to answer an ornithological question in the most direct way imaginable. Beautifully written at times Alan Tennant touches upon the very essence of what fascinates mankind about the Falcons it is a great read!

would have been nice to have some dates.......2006-02-06

The author seems to be striving for a timeless quality in his prose, but it is really annoying that there aren't any dates in the book. Did he take these trips in the 1970s? 1980s? 1990s? He says "we knew that in the future birds will be tracked by satellites", but when was that?

If you're an airplane pilot, you'll be horrified by the chances that these guys took in a really beat-up Cessna 172. They seem to have done some long-distance flying without being instrument-equipped or rated and naturally got themselves into some dangerous scrapes with the weather. The author seems to have no idea how unnecessary this kind of risk-taking is.

The book would have made a really great 25-page New Yorker magazine article.

Be prepared to be amazed.......2005-10-16

I loved this book! I have been following the Operation Migration program re-building the Whooping Crane population for years. This book adds a whole new dimension to the use of man made wings and bird migration. Alan Tennant writes in a way that the reader feels they also can see and hear the thousands of birds as he and George Vose fly through and with them.

I learned lots about peregrine falcons, but I kept my bird book handy and learned a lot about other birds too - including those amazing hummingbirds.

The sections describing the intense fear of the falcons in the bird population attested to their hunting prowess and keen vision and speed.

I am in awe of the birds and of the author's dedication and sense of adventure in trying to learn where they go and what they do on the way. As he says, satellites can tell where they go but not how or transmit the incredibleness of it all.

ON THE WING To the Edge of the Earth with the Peregrine Falc.......2005-03-28

I am halfway through this marvelous book, and am amazed that I have been in so many of the same places covered in the text. I flew a Jet Ranger helicopter on the North Slope in 1969, and came down through the Anatuvik Pass, after refueling on the Eskimo village's landing strip there. The adventures these two have in their old Cessna Skyhawk (which I took my first flying lessons in) are so reminiscent of any bush pilots perplexities. And, I remembered I endured them! One of my buddies in VN was from Miles City, and another had me Mule deer hunting out near the Big Bend where Vose has his strip and homestead. But, I don't need to fly like this anymore!!
What I did like about the book is how much Alan knows about the American West, almost on a Lewis and Clark experience, and more of the USA public should be aware of this landscape's history. He has a clever way of sharing ecological knowledge, and I wish more authors did. My only complaint so far about the book, is that Knopf really needed to supply a better copy-editor than it did. I need a few commas now and then! Many times I was into a paragraph, and tried to go back and see what was being said!
But, that is where the publishing world is today.... (Sigh)

My Weird School #17: Miss Suki Is Kooky! (My Weird School)

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My Weird School #17: Miss Suki Is Kooky! (My Weird School)
Dan Gutman
Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0061234737
Release Date: 2007-04-24

Book Description

Miss Suki is a famous children's book author—and she's coming to A.J.'s school! She lives in the rainforest and writes about endangered animals. But when her pet raptor gets loose in the classroom, it's the kids who are going to be endangered! Yikes!

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Nobility Soars!

Frightful's Daughter
Jean Craighead Craighead George
Manufacturer: Dutton Juvenile
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0525469079

Book Description

Fans of Sam Gribley and his falcon friend, Frightful, will thrill to Jean Craighead George's new book about these beloved characters. Now living in the wild, Frightful and her mate hatch three babies. The female, Oksi, "does things her own way" and, like her mother, is destined for greatness. Readers will follow her singular path from the time she breaks out of her rosy shell to her young adulthood, when Sam saves her life and they bond.

Jean George's themes--the interdependence of human and animal, respect for the wild, and the importance of nature--shine through in her storytelling. In the latest book in her best-selling wilderness series, she introduces a younger group of readers to that one mountain among thousands and the one boy, Sam, who lives there. With majestic, sweeping artwork of the sky and forest near Sam's mountain, Daniel San Souci adds his vision to the story of these noble, remarkable raptors and their human friends.

Customer Reviews:

Nobility Soars!.......2006-12-08

Fewer things are as beautiful as a falcon in flight. The illustrations in this book are nothing short of spectacular and readers will love them along with the wonderful stories of Frightful, the falcon-gentle who was introduced in the "My Side of the Mountain" series. Readers got to know Frightful and her human friend, Sam from "My Side of the Mountain," "The Other Side of the Mountain" and "Frightful's Mountain" and grew to love her as Sam did.

Frightful, once secured her independence has 3 eyas (young raptors). Two of the little falcons are stolen and it is up to Sam, the boy who bonded with Frightful early in her life to recover them. He brings the remaining bird to his home where she will be safe.

The young falcon is quite independent and not apt to heed the warnings of Frightful, who knows all too well the dangers in the world. Oksi, the young falcon-gentle has her own mind about the world as she knows it. Poaching is a real danger and Oksi refuses to stay put in her aerie (raptor's nest) with the other two birds. She is nearly captured by poachers.

Readers go on harrowing adventures with the young raptor as she lives a year as a captive; her successful return to the wild and finding a mate to build an aerie near where Sam lives. It is heartwarming that Sam has has such a way with these incredibly beautiful, majestic birds.

The illustrations will delight readers further as they glide through this delightful book on falcon's wings.

Falcons Nest on Skyscrapers (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science. Stage 2)

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Falcons Nest on Skyscrapers (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science. Stage 2)
Priscilla Belz Jenkins
Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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What Happens to a Hamburger? (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2)

ASIN: 0064451496

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How many feds does it take to change a light bulb?

The Pilgrim and the Cowboy
Paul McKay
Manufacturer: Mcgraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0070453179

Customer Reviews:

How many feds does it take to change a light bulb?.......2000-07-28

This book has been criticized for not getting all the facts straight and not telling both sides of the story...or all sides of the story, because there appear to be more than two. Still, it is the most comprehensive treatment, to date, of the scandal that was called Operation Falcon.

During the 1970's, the governments of Canada and the U.S. spent millions of dollars setting up a sting operation that would bust wildlife smugglers and blow the lid of the illegal international trade in valuable falcons. Rare, and protected, North American birds were supposedly stolen from the wild and shipped to wealthy Arabs. By the time this ended, many law-abiding, licensed falconers had been investigated, their reputations put on the line, and, in some cases, their (legal) breeding projects imperiled. But the smuggling ring itself was never exposed, because, when all was said and done, it never existed. Only a few sleazy characters were involved, people with tenuous ties to the falconry community who nonetheless cast (no pun intended) all falconers in a bad light.

This book is a good, interesting read--whether it includes all the data or not--and it is worth noting that a high-profile issue (like smuggling falcons) can eat up a lot of tax dollars and can also affect people who are not even involved in the alleged activity. The bad guys in this book are a couple of sleazy characters: one, a falconer who is trying to cut a deal on separate charges and offers to set up a sting, and the other, a greedy yuppie-type who just wants to get rich quick, but can't quite get it together. But the real villain is the bureaucracy that grinds along and chews up everything in its path. Some of the wildlife officers who had always played fair (protecting natural resources and falconers alike) are even harmed.

Operation Falcon's legacy to the sport is a residual paranoia and suspicion of non-falconers. This concern is, all too often, legitimate. It's too bad, because falconers have made significant contributions to the welfare of our wild raptors, particularly in the huge role falconers played in the peregrine's recovery.

Customer Reviews:

fly with peregrines.......2007-07-26

Never have I been on trip like this! Dr. Clayton White's journey throughout the world of peregrine falcons is unsurpassed. Like an exotic travel log, White takes his readers through every step of the way. Every sensation is brought to life and at the end, the reader is rewarded in so many ways.

Don't miss this rare opportunity for an truly engaging experience!

Wow!.......2007-02-17

from STEVE HEYING's review in AMERICAN FALCONRY MAGAZINE:

Wow! What a tour-de-force this book Peregrine Quest is to experience. Author Clayton M. White guides - no - leads the reader on a worldwide expedition through his life long passion, that of the peregrine falcon and its environs. He accomplishes this by recounting retelling from his fields notes and memory the tales and stories of his life adventures from fifty some years of field work. Along the way, in this shared journey, one cannot help but also gain a deeper insight into the greater underlying meaning of living not just a good life, but rather a great life on this planet we call Earth. Through the vector of sharing with him his pursuit of all the knowledge of all that is of the peregrine falcon, Professor White exposes the reader of his book to that which is life on earth in any and all places he has come to fully experience. We are led to feel the wind, the rain or lack thereof, the bugs, the other birds, the sunsets, the heat and the cold, all the attributes of place as he has experienced these places. In each expose of each peregrine in its place and time, Professor White builds a complete picture of the circle of life within that particular place with photographs, word stories, and cameos of what he sees and feels and knows while he is there. He tries to cover all the important details, literally leaving no stone unturned. Professor White is an artist, working with a full palate of paints, using broad strokes so as to give color and texture to all of Alaska, or with the use of fine line vignettes to color one eyrie on one rock on one river in one special place in Alaska. With earth shattering conclusions or short incidental stories, Clayton builds pictures of time and space that put the reader there, and educate us as to how we should act or feel while we are there.

Any falconer with any experience or wishing to have any experience with a peregrine falcon either does owe or will eventually owe some part of that experience to Clay White. This book delineates the "why" of that truth and fact. If along the way of that "peregrine experience," if said falconer becomes a better human being as well, he may also owe that to Clay White or to the people Clay has influenced during his life time. Some of that knowledge and influence will come from this book and Clay White's lifetime work for future generations to tap into. This book is a "must have," and one that will be read over and over as a most enjoyable trip into Clay White¹s world and the peregrine experiences contained within.

The Illustrated Birds of Prey: Red-Tailed Hawk, American Kestrel & Peregrine Falcon: The Ultimate Reference Guide for Bird Lovers, Artists, and Woodcarvers (The Denny Rogers Visual Reference series)

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Great Reference Book
Illustrated Birds of Prey

The Illustrated Birds of Prey: Red-Tailed Hawk, American Kestrel & Peregrine Falcon: The Ultimate Reference Guide for Bird Lovers, Artists, and Woodcarvers (The Denny Rogers Visual Reference series)
Denny Rogers
Manufacturer: Fox Chapel Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1565233107

Book Description

With meticulous anatomical drawings and highly detailed illustrations in an impressive variety of poses, this guidebook reveals how artists can render re-creations of some of the most elusive aerial predators. From sharp talons and curved beaks to individual feather charts, this unique resource was compiled from photographs taken of numerous specimens of each species of bird. Additional chapters discuss the physiology and habits of the kestral, hawk, and falcon while extensive color charts with paint references guide artists in finishing their creations.

Customer Reviews:

Great Reference Book.......2007-09-09

Very concise book if you are looking for a good reference book. Drawings are well executed.

Illustrated Birds of Prey.......2007-06-17

I love this book, it has every thing you could think of for questions, that you could have!

Peregrine Falcon: Stories of the Blue Meanie (Corrie Herring Hooks Series)

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WONDERFUL BOOK
The best book on peregrine falcons ever.

Peregrine Falcon: Stories of the Blue Meanie (Corrie Herring Hooks Series)
James H. Enderson
Manufacturer: University of Texas Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0292706243

Book Description

This book belongs next to Cade and Burnham's Return of the Peregrine in any library intent on chronicling what is probably the greatest conservation story of the 20th century.

— The Auk

"This is a wide-ranging and readable treatment of the peregrine's decline and rebound in North America from crash to near-recovery....In fact, Enderson was one of the main players, and this goes a long way toward giving the book credibility."

—Lloyd F. Kiff, Science Director, the Peregrine Fund

A superb success as a bird, combining great speed, aeronautical grace, and fearlessness...inhabitant of wild places, inaccessible cliffs, and skyscrapers...worldwide dweller, trans-equatorial migrant, and docile captive—the peregrine falcon stands alone among all others of its kind. Perhaps this is why so many varied people rushed to its aid when it faced decimation by pesticide poisoning.

In this personal and highly entertaining memoir, Jim Enderson tells stories of a lifetime spent studying, training, breeding, and simply enjoying peregrine falcons. He recalls how his boyhood interest in raptors grew into an ornithological career in which he became one of the leading experts who helped identity DDT as the cause of the peregrine falcon's sudden and massive decline across the United States. His stories reveal both the dedication that he and fellow researchers brought to the task of studying and restoring the peregrine and the hair-raising adventures that sometimes befell them along the way. Enderson also seamlessly weaves in the biology and natural history of the peregrine, as well as anecdotes about its traditional and widespread use in falconry as an aggressive yet tractable hunter, to offer a broad portrait of this splendid and intriguing falcon.

Customer Reviews:

WONDERFUL BOOK.......2005-06-18

If you didn't want to take the time to read the review by Stan Moore, take my word for it...
This book is a truly wonderful look at the plight of the peregrine as a species. Jim Enderson is without a doubt one of the top peregrine biologists in the world, and has created a memoir that is an absolute gem. Buy this book!

The best book on peregrine falcons ever........2005-03-12

There have been many books on peregrine falcons over the years, including some very good ones. I have read most of them. Jim Enderson's new book is probably the best book on peregrines I have ever seen, especially if one includes the peregrine/human interface. Jim Enderson not only knows peregrine falcons intimately, but he is intimately acquainted with most or all of the major peregrine falcon biologists in the world, not to mention falconers who train and fly both wild caught and captive bred peregrines. Many of Enderson's generation of peregrine biologists were and are falconers, and the unique and substantive insights of these people, including Enderson, are what make this book so special.

This book includes a lot of low-key humor by the author, which perhaps one would expect of a former Iowa farm boy. Adventures to the four corners of the world in places from Scotland to Zimbabwe to Greenland are among the highlights of the book. Tales of perilous climbs by rope to visit cliffside peregrine nests place the reader on edge. There is even a tiny amount of sexual innuendo among a few of the stories to titillate those who are not merely satisfied with reading about duck hawks.

Enderson also is brutally honest in revealing some of his opinions and foibles. He talks of "robbing" peregrine nests, with the end justifying the means. The reader is left to wonder if Enderson took some peregrine young illegally (without legal authorization by appropriate government permits) or was he robbing the nests only from the perspective of the parents.
Some of the science/policy/conservation views expressed by Enderson are subject to question, such as his apparent view that "floaters" are not a major part of robust, healthy populations, or that subspecific status is not important in recovery/management efforts. History has shown that peregrine subspecies' status was used in listing the birds at the beginning of the DDT era, but Enderson appears to be saying that subspecies considerations are useful in determining status, but not in management.

Any person who loves peregrine falcons or who knows some of the history of peregrine falcon research and recovery will love this book. It is a hard book to put down once you start reading it!
Many of us would die to have the chance at a life like Enderson chronicles in this book. This book is a memoir that gives us a peek into a fabulous, productive, exciting human life in close interaction with a truly charasmatic wildlife species. One comes away with a feeling of: "Damn. I wish I could have been there, done that."

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