Swoop and Soar: How Science Rescued Two Osprey Orphans and Found Them a New Family in the Wild
By Regan McMahon,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Exciting, fact-filled story of wild osprey chicks' rescue.
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What's the Story?
SWOOP AND SOAR: HOW SCIENCE RESCUED TWO OSPEY ORPHANS AND FOUND THEM A NEW FAMILY IN THE WILD begins with a father osprey plunging into the ocean to catch fish to feed his two chicks back in the nest with their mother. Then a lightning storm and high winds cause their tree to crash and the chicks to fall out of the nest onto the forest floor. A wildlife biologist named Jack sees through binoculars what's happened -- and that the parent ospreys have left -- and he searches the forest to find the chicks. He finds them and takes them in to a wildlife center. When raptor biologist (and co-author of Swoop and Soar) Jane Veltkamp hears about the orphans, she quickly sets about finding the chicks a new nest with osprey foster parents.
Is It Any Good?
This riveting wildlife rescue story will keep kids engaged as they follow each perilous step toward the osprey chicks' survival. And large, clear color photos help readers grasp every new development. The first half of Swoop and Soar: How Science Rescued Two Osprey Orphans and Found Them a New Family in the Wild shows how a wildlife biologist rescues the two osprey chicks -- called Swoop and Soar in the story -- and how a raptor biologist finds them foster parents. The second half lays out loads of facts about ospreys: how they grow, how they learn to fly, what they eat, how they catch their food, how they use their beaks and talons, what they need to do to stay safe, and what humans can do to help protect them and other wildlife. It's an inspiring story of science in action that will help make readers more keenly aware of the need to protect wildlife, and might even inspire them to consider a career in science. Great for classroom or home reading.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the storytelling in Swoop and Soar: How Science Rescued Two Osprey Orphans and Found Them a New Family in the Wild. Was it exciting to see how Janie, the biologist, stepped in to help the chicks? How do the real-life photos help you understand the story and the science?
What's the most amazing fact you learned about ospreys? What surprised you the most?
Would you like to help save animals in the wild? What could you do where you live to help?
Book Details
- Authors: Jane Veltkamp , Deborah Lee Rose
- Genre: Science
- Topics: Great Girl Role Models , Science and Nature , Wild Animals
- Character Strengths: Compassion , Courage , Curiosity , Perseverance , Teamwork
- Book type: Non-Fiction
- Publisher: Persnickety Press
- Publication date: September 5, 2022
- Number of pages: 56
- Available on: Hardback
- Award: Common Sense Selection
- Last updated: September 12, 2022
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