The tragic tale of the great auk
(Book)
For hundreds of thousands of years Great Auks thrived in the icy seas of the North Atlantic, bobbing on the waves, diving for fish and struggling up onto rocky shores to mate and hatch their fluffy chicks. But by 1844, not a single one of these magnificent birds was alive. In this stunningly illustrated non-fiction picture book, award-winning author and illustrator Jan Thornhill tells the tragic story of these birds that "weighed as much as a sack of potatoes and stood as tall as a preteen's waist." Their demise came about in part because of their anatomy. They could swim swiftly underwater, but their small wings meant they couldn't fly and their feet were so far back on their bodies, they couldn't walk very well. Still the birds managed to escape their predators much of the time...until humans became seafarers. Great Auks were pursued first by Vikings, then by Inuit, Beothuk and finally European hunters. Their numbers rapidly dwindled. They became collectors' items--their skins were stuffed for museums, to be displayed along with their beautiful eggs. (There are some amazing stories about these stuffed auks--one was stolen from a German museum during WWII by Russian soldiers; another was flown to Iceland and given a red-carpet welcome at the airport).
Level 6.5, 1 Points
Notes
Thornhill, J. The tragic tale of the great auk. Toronto ; Berkeley.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)Thornhill, Jan. The Tragic Tale of the Great Auk. Toronto ; Berkeley.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)Thornhill, Jan, The Tragic Tale of the Great Auk. Toronto ; Berkeley.
MLA Citation (style guide)Thornhill, Jan. The Tragic Tale of the Great Auk. Toronto ; Berkeley,
Record Information
Last Sierra Extract Time | Apr 13, 2024 12:26:43 PM |
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Last File Modification Time | Apr 13, 2024 12:27:17 PM |
Last Grouped Work Modification Time | Apr 13, 2024 12:26:49 PM |
MARC Record
LEADER | 03812cam 2200505 i 4500 | ||
---|---|---|---|
001 | 932844350 | ||
003 | OCoLC | ||
005 | 20161027110612.0 | ||
008 | 151211s2016 oncab b b 000 0 eng | ||
016 | |a 20159084504 | ||
020 | |a 9781554988655|q (bound) | ||
020 | |a 1554988659|q (bound) | ||
035 | |a (OCoLC)932844350 | ||
040 | |a NLC|b eng|e rda|c NLC|d OCLCO|d BDX|d YDXCP|d BTCTA|d OCLCF|d TOH|d OI6|d UAB|d LEO|d WD | ||
049 | |a LEOA | ||
050 | 4 | |a QL696.C42|b T56 2016 | |
055 | 0 | |a QL696 C42|b T56 2016 | |
082 | 0 | 4 | |a j598.3/3|2 23 |
100 | 1 | |a Thornhill, Jan,|e author,|e illustrator. | |
245 | 1 | 4 | |a The tragic tale of the great auk /|c Jan Thornhill. |
264 | 4 | |a Toronto ;|a Berkeley :|b Groundwood Books :|b House of Anansi Press,|c ©2016. | |
300 | |a 1 volume (unpaged) :|b color illustrations, color map ;|c 29 cm | ||
336 | |a text|b txt|2 rdacontent | ||
336 | |a still image|b sti|2 rdacontent | ||
337 | |a unmediated|b n|2 rdamedia | ||
338 | |a volume|b nc|2 rdacarrier | ||
504 | |a Includes bibliographical references. | ||
520 | |a For hundreds of thousands of years Great Auks thrived in the icy seas of the North Atlantic, bobbing on the waves, diving for fish and struggling up onto rocky shores to mate and hatch their fluffy chicks. But by 1844, not a single one of these magnificent birds was alive. In this stunningly illustrated non-fiction picture book, award-winning author and illustrator Jan Thornhill tells the tragic story of these birds that "weighed as much as a sack of potatoes and stood as tall as a preteen's waist." Their demise came about in part because of their anatomy. They could swim swiftly underwater, but their small wings meant they couldn't fly and their feet were so far back on their bodies, they couldn't walk very well. Still the birds managed to escape their predators much of the time...until humans became seafarers. Great Auks were pursued first by Vikings, then by Inuit, Beothuk and finally European hunters. Their numbers rapidly dwindled. They became collectors' items--their skins were stuffed for museums, to be displayed along with their beautiful eggs. (There are some amazing stories about these stuffed auks--one was stolen from a German museum during WWII by Russian soldiers; another was flown to Iceland and given a red-carpet welcome at the airport). | ||
530 | |a Issued also in electronic format. | ||
650 | 0 | |a Great auk|v Juvenile literature. | |
776 | 1 | |a Thornhill, Jan, author, illustrator.|t Tragic tale of the great auk.|w (CaOONL)20159084512 | |
907 | |a .b24950890 | ||
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