Watch Celia Godkin’s peregrine falcons swoop and dive in the new animated book trailer for Skydiver: Saving the Fastest Bird in the World.
Animations by Maryna Nekrasova
“In Skydiver, Celia Godkin tells the stories of peregrine falcons, the severe decline in their population caused by the pesticide DDT, and the human volunteers whose intervention is necessary if the population is to recover. Godkin follows the lives of both the wild and incubated birds, as well as providing background material on the fight to ban DDT.
…An accomplished artist, Godkin also gives us pictures of this extraordinarily swift bird swooping and playing in a sunlight sky, as well as endearing depictions of the awkward chicks with their fuzzy white down and the gawky juveniles with their mixture of adult plumage and baby fluff. It is these illustrations — as well as Godkin’s advice to “Look up!” — that will really inform and excite children about these beautiful birds.”
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“Choosing the peregrine falcon as the subject of her latest book is a wise, if not brilliant, choice. There is something about raptors that is particularly fascinating to the young. Perhaps it is their speed or their power or what appears to us as brutality that holds us in awe of these birds of prey.
Godkin’s writing is clear and concise and well-researched…..The author/illustrator’s dramatic full-colour paintings illuminate each page….Skydiver: Saving the Fastest Bird in the World is well worth a place on the shelves of the wildlife section in an elementary school library. Highly Recommended.”
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“…The fastest bird in the world? I had no idea. It upped the ante to find our more about them. Find out more I did…The informative text and detailed accompanying artwork show young readers the birds in their airy habitat, on the edge of a rock ledge. After hunting for needed food, the male is on his way back to the nest when he spots people nearby. One of those people climbs down to the nest, carefully removes the eggs and climbs back to the top of the cliff…The author assures that her readers understand the danger that these beautiful birds have faced, and how their numbers are improving because of the care and concern shown by leading scientists.
An author’s note encourages readers to find out more and includes this startling statistic: ‘Estimates vary, but one National Geographic team clocked a peregrine in a power dive at 242 miles(387 kilometers) an hour.”
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