Author: Jacqueline Davies
Illustrator: Melissa Sweet
Format: Hardcover
Published: Houghton Mifflin, 2004

At the age of 18, John James Audubon traveled from his home in France to a farm in Pennsylvania. Long interested in birds, Audubon was determined to find out if birds who left their nests in the fall returned to the same nests the next spring. It was the early 1800s, and scientists were divided on this point; in fact, no one really knew where small birds went each winter. Audubon became the first person in North America to band a bird. He tied silver thread around several birds' legs in the fall and watched for them again the next year. In this way, he learned that birds do return to the same nests each year. Though not a complete biography of Audubon, Davies engaging text provides a fascinating look at an important time in the great naturalist's career. Sweet's gorgeous illustrations feature gentle watercolors, sketches, and mixed media collages of the specimens, artwork, and notes Audubon kept in his room.