Review by Booklist Review
In smooth, rhythmic writing and textured mixed-media illustrations, Halliday imagines the epic journey of a young whimbrel after a hurricane separates her from her migrating flock. Still wearing some downy fluff, Numenia and her sisters exchange seashore for sky, only to be pelted by fierce winds and a stampede of raindrops. Numenia isn't strong enough to stay aloft, and she tumbles down onto a window ledge, where a child offers her some food. After the storm passes, Numenia continues her flight, guided by instinct and a clutch of hope, until at last she hears a familiar song, curlee, curlee, curloo, and knows she's home. Halliday based her picture book on the true story of Hope, a whimbrel that miraculously weathered Tropical Storm Gert in 2011. An author's note offers details about Hope and the devastating impact of hurricanes on migratory bird populations, but it's Halliday's vivid depiction of Numenia that will capture readers' hearts and minds. The bird's intense journey is a natural tie-in for science units on animals or extreme weather.--Julia Smith Copyright 2019 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 2--5--Migratory birds have one of the most challenging jobs on Earth: survive the elements in order to travel from their homes in the far North to those in the South and back again. Numenia is one of three bird sisters born by an arctic shore. They eat and grow until the arrival of autumn triggers their migratory instincts and they set off, under the guidance of wise old goose, for their winter home. However, Numenia is blown off course by a hurricane, and she must endure days of heavy flying with no food to attempt to reunite with her sisters. This book is stunning not only in its elegant language but also in its presentation. Rhyming, poetic text moves readers through the story with the use of specific targeted vocabulary that paints a vivid picture despite its brevity. The cadence is balanced in nearly every line, making this story ideally suited to being read aloud. Ornately detailed illustrations match the text perfectly; each moment of the book is well balanced and engages readers' eyes as well as their ears. Every image is an invitation for readers to investigate the many subtleties found there. The final pages explain the author's impetus for writing this book and include an important call to action for all.VERDICT Readers of a variety of ages will appreciate this educational, beautifully designed homage to the many creatures who are affected by climate change around the world.--Mary Lanni, formerly at Denver Public Library
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Migrating south with her sisters, a whimbrel is caught in a hurricane but eventually battles her way to warm winter safety.This imagined journey is loosely based on the real experience of a whimbrel fitted with a solar-powered transmitter who traveled from the Arctic coast in Canada's Northwest Territories to St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands in 2011, at one point flying nonstop 27 hours through a tropical storm. (This story is related in an author's note.) Wildlife photographer Halliday has used a combination of traditional and digital media to create striking, allusive images, many of them dark double-page spreads in which spots and streaks emphasize the power of the storm and the viewpoint twists and turns. Like many bird migrations, most of this tale happens at night. At dawn the whimbrel starts off again. Color and light return, and by sunset she reaches the tropics, where she faces new dangers before reuniting with her sisters. The author/illustrator has added details, including the bird's nestmates and a pause on a city windowsill where sympathetic hands offer her a restorative plate of small fish, but on the whole the saga rings true. Naming her protagonist Numenia, from the bird's Latin name, Numenius phaeopus, the writer crafts her story as a ballad, with carefully chosen words and plenty of alliteration. It would make a suspenseful storytime read-aloud. Pair with Nancy Carol Willis' more informational Red Knot (2006).A dramatic depiction of a remarkable avian accomplishment. (bibliography) (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
