The Race to Save the Lord God Bird

Hoose, Phillip. The Race to Save the Lord God Bird.  Melanie Kroupa Books, New York: 2004. 200 pages. Tr. $20.00 ISBN 0374361738

Annotation

The Race to Save the Lord God Bird is an exciting ecological drama which unfolds around the quick endangerment and subsequent disappearance of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, once the largest woodpecker in the United States.

Review

The Race to Save the Lord God Bird is an exciting ecological drama that chronicles the work of a handful of scientists’ devotion to preserving on of American’s most magnificent birds, the Ivory­-billed Woodpecker.  The Ivory-bill used to be common throughout the forests and swamps of the Southern United States.  Nearly two feet long and with a three foot wingspan, the Ivory-bill was the largest woodpecker, and was doubly easy to spot with their distinctive black and white markings.  Sadly their size and distinctive markings made the woodpeckers easy prey for hunters until the once common bird became more and more rare.  Eventually the Ivory-bill became so rare that the bird was restricted to remote swampland in Louisiana.  Today there are still reported sightings of the bird, though nothing official, scientists still devote time to searching the swamps of Louisiana in hopes that this magnificent bird has somehow survived the harsh loss of habitat.

Awards/Honors

ALA Notable Book 2005

Orbis Pictus Honor Book 2005

YALSA Best Books for Young Adults 2005

Front and Back Matter

TOC, Introduction, Prologue, Maps, Epilogue, Important Dates for the Protection of Birds, Especially the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, Glossary, Sources, Acknowledgments, Picture Credits, Index

Author’s Website

http://philliphoose.com/