A Loon Alone

by Pamela Love

Overview

A tranquil pond becomes a frightening place for a loon chick that is separated from his parents by a menacing snapping turtle. But the brave little bird remains in his hiding place and also survives encounters with a huge moose, a hungry raccoon, and a speedy otter. In the end, he is reunited with his mother and father just as night falls.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781461743606
Publisher:	Down East Books
Publication date:	01/01/2002
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	30
File size:	52 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 5 Years

Editorial Reviews

Author and artist fluidly combine a glimpse of nature's pecking order and a cautionary tale in this attractive volume about a loon chick separated from and ultimately reunited with its mother. "On a lake in the Maine woods, two loons a mother and chick were swimming together." But the young bird soon lags behind. Young readers will identify with the loon chick's distraction as he engages in innocent fun: "Sometimes, he would dive and bring up a smooth, white stone in his dark grey bill. It was play but also practice for catching fish someday." However, his antics draw unwanted attention from a snapping turtle; his mother spies the predator and scares the turtle away. Sycks's finely detailed illustrations, rendered in earth-tones, shows the loon nestling beside cattails and a fallen tree branch as camouflage. Intricate pencil strokes reveal the chick's wispy down with scientific accuracy. Love narrates the proceedings without anthropomorphizing the creatures, and brings the book to a reassuring conclusion: "Kwuk, kwuk," calls mother loon, signaling that it's safe for her chick to come out. Ages 4-7. (June) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

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