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Ookpik

Ookpik
View Larger Ookpik
Bruce Hiscock
ILLUSTRATED BY
Bruce Hiscock
In Nonfiction picture book
Ages: 7–9
Pages: 32
List Price: $16.95
Cover: Hardcover
Published: 2/1/2008
ISBN: 1-59078-461-8
ISBN-13: 978-1-59078-461-7
One snowy owl’s first year and its struggle to survive. Fed by his parents, Ookpik, which means “snowy owl" in the Inuit language, grows quickly in the short Arctic summer. By autumn he has learned to hunt on his own, but prey is scarce on the tundra that year. The owl’s instincts tell him that he must leave this land or starve. Ookpik flies south, over the great forests of Canada, and finally lands in the United States, always searching for food and a winter hunting ground. With vivid watercolor illustrations, Bruce Hiscock depicts the changing landscape, from the treeless Arctic of Baffin Island to the dairy country of eastern New York. There, Ookpik settles for the winter, much to the delight of bird watchers. An author’s note offers additional details on the life of the snowy owl.

Reviews

"An informative author’s note comments on the range, size, food, courtship, nesting, growth, and survival of snowy owls. Varied in composition, well focused, and often panoramic in effect, the watercolor paintings depict the snowy owl’s world as well as the bird himself. This handsome picture book tells and illustrates the story without sentimentality or anthropomorphism. The owl’s journey becomes an involving story for children and a fine addition to classroom units on migration."
     —Booklist

"Like his earlier Big Caribou Herd (2003), this conveys the author's love for that remote part of the world and provides a fine introduction for middle-grade readers."
     —Kirkus Reviews

"This educational and delightful nonfiction picture book chronicles the journey of a snowy owl during its first year of life. ... An informative introduction with a map showing Ookpik's journey helps to clarify the story for younger readers and the Author's Note allows teachers and older readers to learn more about snowy owls and their habits. Hiscock's extensive research, along with his own travels and observation allow him to create a beautifully flowing, engaging story. ... This charming picture book is sure to find its way into the hands of many readers."
     —Library Media Connection

"Hiscock’s realistic, detailed watercolors perfectly match his prose in this inviting “biography" of a typical Snowy during a cycle when lemmings, the birds’ choice prey, are few. ... Elegant and informative."
     —School Library Journal

Ookpik: The Travels of a Snowy Owl receives a positive review in the April/May issue of Library Media Connection: "This educational and delightful nonfiction picture book chronicles the journey of a snowy owl during its first year of life. ... An informative introduction with a map showing Ookpik's journey helps to clarify the story for younger readers and the Author's Note allows teachers and older readers to learn more about snowy owls and their habits. Hiscock's extensive research, along with his own travels and observation allow him to create a beautifully flowing, engaging story. ... This charming picture book is sure to find its way into the hands of many readers."
Patricia Manning wrote a review of Ookpik: The Travels of a Snowy Owl, which appears in the June 2008 issue of School Library Journal: “Hiscock’s realistic, detailed watercolors perfectly match his prose in this inviting “biography" of a typical Snowy during a cycle when lemmings, the birds’ choice prey, are few. ... Elegant and informative."

Ookpik: The Travels of a Snowy Owl was reviewed In the January 2008 issue of Booklist. Carolyn Phelan writes:

“An informative author’s note comments on the range, size, food, courtship, nesting, growth, and survival of snowy owls. Varied in composition, well focused, and often panoramic in effect, the watercolor paintings depict the snowy owl’s world as well as the bird himself. This handsome picture book tells and illustrates the story without sentimentality or anthropomorphism. The owl’s journey becomes an involving story for children and a fine addition to classroom units on migration."