Terry: Adventures of a Terek Sandpiper

by Anne Hamilton

An environmental awareness story describing the migration of Terek sandpiper from Siberia to Australia each year. Journey with young Terry as he has to fly half way around the world at only a few weeks of age. The tough conditions and harsh realities of survival are sensitively portrayed in this exquisite picture book.

Genres: Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2010

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

For twenty years, I was the coordinator of an annual camp for children based around The Chronicles of Narnia. That experience shaped a lot of my thinking about how readers enjoy fantasy.

Like CS Lewis, my fantasy story Many-Coloured Realm began with a picture in my mind's eye: a boy without arms floating in a field of stars and faced with an impossible choice.

My non-fiction series beginning with God's Poetry can be traced back to the observation that Lewis comes from the Welsh word for lion. The discovery of name covenants led to the discovery of threshold covenants, as well as many other long-forgotten aspects of our Judeo-Christian heritage.

I love exploring words, mathematics and names. All of these combine in my books, whether they are fiction or non-fiction, or whether they're for adults or children, whether they're academic in tone or primarily devotional. I hope my readers always come away from my books with a renewed delight for the world around us and a child-like wonder for its awesome aspects.

Reviews

[Ruth Bonetti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning illustrations and a poignant story. I sent this to a relative's grandchild in Finland, and he loved it.

[Nola Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. This book tells the story of Terry, a baby Terek Sandpiper, who makes the trek from the Arctic to Australia and back again.

The text by Anne Hamilton is beautifully written, with lots of lovely imagery right from the opening line: "Terry looked like a tiny cloud on legs as he skittered after the giant mosquito." The illustrations by Sandra Temple are also a treat, as Terry sees the northern lights, flies over the Great Wall of China and fossicks through mangroves and beaches.

Facts about the birds are woven into the story and there is also an environmental message about the effects of industry on the food source of migrating birds. The back page also contains more facts about Terek Sandpipers that could be used by teachers or parents. A glossary of words that might be unfamiliar to young readers is also included.

My only slight hesitation is that I would have liked a couple more details in parts. This is always tricky where there is a tight word limit and the book already has more words than a lot of picture books. However, there were a couple of places where the story seemed to jump a little. For example, Terry is caught up in a cyclone on one page and he's in Australia wondering where Dad and Pippa are on the next page. However, this is just a minor point. I was just enjoying the story and wanted to know a bit more.

Although it's a picture book, it would probably be more suitable for lower primary children than preschoolers due to the concepts. Great to see another release from Wombat Books that highlights a lesser known bird/animal with links to Australia. This book would be an asset for any children's library.

[Anne Hamilton]

Terry's newest fan!

[Tanya Searle · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 3 stars is from me but the class I read it to gave it a 5. I thought that it would be difficult to understand especially if a child was reading it independently. Each page had new content that without prior knowledge you might not get the author's meaning. As an adult, I even had to reread pages as there was too much on one page to digest. However..... after pulling the text apart and explaining the content (eg Great Wall of China) to the children, they wanted to give it a 5. Why was my first response. They loved it because it was interesting and they learnt new things. This book is a fine example why parents should be reading with their children. Thank you to Goodreads and Anne Hamilton for providing me with a free signed copy of this book. I will be donating it to my school library for other children to enjoy.

[gemsbooknook Geramie Kate Barker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Won this Through Goodreads First Read.
Great story. Educational but sweet and entertaining. Great illustrations. Really enjoyed this book. Would recommend this book to all parents and their children.

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice story covering the yearly migration of the Terek Sandpiper and the effects of changing environments.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an endearing book! Finely illustrated! Every year the little known Terek wader bird makes the mammoth journey from breeding grounds inside the Arctic Circle, via China to the beaches of Australia. Told as a children's story, but delightful for adults, too, "Terry" is a precious gift to environmental awareness without sounding "preachy". A travel story for people who have watched birds and wondered where they have come from, where they are going and hoped they are safe. For those who haven't, they will now.
Well done.I have been privileged to receive this book as a result of Goodreads.