The Portland Public Library Presents…
MOONBIRD
A Year on the Wind with
the Great Survivor B95
Thursday, 9/27/12
6:00 PM
Portland Public Library, Main Branch
Monument Square
Portland, Maine
(207) 871-1700 x723
Free Admission
Join National Book Award–winning author Phillip Hoose for a lecture on his new book, Moonbird: A Year on the Wind with the Great Survivor B95. Hoose will share the extraordinary story of one bird’s strength, adaptability, and determination in the face of challenges that push his species toward extinction.
The Book
Meet rufa red knot B95; so named for the letter and numbers on the orange plastic flag placed on his upper left leg by a research team. Every March, this robin-sized shorebird begins a journey from the bottom of the world to the top: from Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, to breeding grounds in the Canadian Arctic, about 9,000 miles away. In August, he sets off on the return trip. B95 is over twenty years old, and in his lifetime he has flown more than 325,000 miles – the distance to the moon and nearly halfway back, earning him the nickname “moonbird.” But every year, B95’s companions are fewer and fewer.
The rufa red knot population has plummeted because of changes at important stopover sites along their migratory circuit—changes caused by human activity. The rufa Red Knot can still be saved. An appendix gives tips for getting involved in conservation.
★“Meticulously researched and told with inspiring prose and stirring images, this is a gripping, triumphant story of science and survival.” – Kirkus Reviews, starred review
★ “Hoose’s stature as a preeminent nonfiction author combined with the high-interest animal hook will generate hearty attention and enthusiasm for this one.” – Booklist, starred review
★ “Readers will appreciate Hoose’s thorough approach in contextualizing this amazing, itinerant creature that was last spotted in 2011.” – Publishers Weekly, starred review
★ “Hoose’s fascinating account concerns much more than this one bird. He describes research methods, profiles scientists in international cooperation as well as activist kids, and takes a sobering look at longterm prospects for survival not just of the rufa but of most species on earth.” – Horn Book, starred review
“This book is a joy for anyone who’s looked up at a soaring flock of shorebirds and wondered where in the world they were going. Phil Hoose takes you there, on the wings of a phenomenal little superbird known as B95. It’s a great true story about a vanishing breed and one amazing, tireless survivor.” – Carl Hiaasen, author of the Newbery Honor Book Hoot
Phillip Hoose Singing the Delaware Bay Blues
The Author
Phillip Hoose is the National Book Award winner Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice, which is also a Newbery Honor Book, a Robert F. Sibert Honor Book, a YALSA Finalist for Excellence in Young Adult Fiction, and an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, among other honors. His other books include The Race to Save the Lord God Bird, winner of the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, and We Were There, Too!, a National Book Award Finalist. Hoose has been on the staff of the Nature Conservancy since 1977 and currently works with the Conservancy’s Canada Program.