The Tale of Pale Male: A True Story

by Jeanette Winter

Here is the incredible true story of a Red-tailed Hawk that makes himself at home in the most unlikely of places--atop a high-rise apartment building in New York City. Named Pale Male by his many fans, this majestic bird not only endures in this urban environment, he thrives. But when the residents have Pale Male's nest removed from their building, a historic battle--and triumph--ensues, uniting bird lovers everywhere.

With Jeanette Winter's beloved folk art-inspired illustrations and soulful insight into the spirit of this beautiful hawk, this is a book that will delight nature enthusiasts of all ages.
Includes an author's note.

Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction, Birds, Animals, Childrens, Nature, Biography

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2007

Reviews

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked it for its simplicity and the straightforward no nonsense story telling. Liked the basic artstyle as well.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jeanette Winter, whose many works of picture-book non-fiction for children include such titles as The Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq , and the recent The Watcher: Jane Goodall's Life with the Chimps , here turns her attention to the story of Pale Male, a redtail hawk who, together with his mate, took up residence on one of New York City's most exclusive apartment buildings, and proceeded to raise a family. In simple prose, Winter describes Pale Male's nest-building with Lola, the two eyasses they raised, and the controversy surrounding the building's attempt to remove the hawks' nest.

One of a number of picture-book treatments of this subject - others include Janet Schulman's Pale Male: Citizen Hawk of New York City and Meghan Mccarthy's City Hawk: The Story of Pale Male - Winter's books seems ideally suited for younger children, who are not yet ready for a more fact-intensive narrative, but who would still enjoy hearing the story of this beloved icon of urban wildlife. I well remember the hubbub that ensued, when Pale Male's nest was destroyed (my mother was and is a great admirer of this falconine hero), and have been meaning to read some of these children's books devoted to the topic ever since they were first released. The Tale of Pale Male was a good place to start, I think, given that I am already familiar with, and appreciative of Winter's work. Informative and enjoyable, with appealing illustrations, this is a book I would recommend to younger bird lovers and would-be naturalists, or to children who are planning a trip to New York City, and intend to take in the sites of the Central Park area.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

We love birds, New York City and true stories - this book offers all of the above.

[GraceAnne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poetic text, exquisite pictures.

[Prabhat sharma · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Tale of Pale Male: A True Story (Hardcover) by Jeanette Winter, Hindi language translation by Vidushak- Children’s illustrated Colour Picture Book- The book narrates the story of a Red-tailed Hawk who has been named Pale and his female partner who has been named Lola. These names have been given to them by New York bird lovers. They find that there are less trees and more high-rise buildings. They are able to find rats for food. Lola is pregnant. The couple pickup branches of trees to build their nest near the top of a building on a window. Branches with thorns are also added to the nest so that pigeons do not come near their nest. Pale Male by his many bird watchers as fans. They want that their nest is protected. During the winter, Lola lays eggs. Pale brings rats, mice, small pigeons for their food. The children grow up soon. They fly under the guidance of Pale. The residents of the building find that the Hawk family disturbs them by throwing food particles and branches. During December, they get the nest removed. The bird watcher group and protest against the residents. In a meeting, it is decided that now onwards, they will not remove the nests of birds so that these majestic birds can survive in this urban environment. Coloured illustrations help the reader to relate to the story. I have read the Hindi language translation of this book.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of two red-tailed hawks that made a nest atop a building on 5th Avenue in New York City. The people who lived in the building were not happy with the falling debris from their meals, so they requested that the nest be pulled down. That got the bird people up in arms and protesting. The two sides finally met and agreed to allow the hawks to build a new nest.

[حسناء · Rating 4 out of 5]

i love the stories she picks for her books

[kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

choppy writing and not so great illustrations, could have been much better

[Robin Raines-Bond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this true story of Red-Tail Hawks that chose to live in NYC. Well written with great illustrations.

[Gayle Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a true story that I read to my class when talking about urban vs rural areas. It was really cool to be able to go and find real news articles about the birds, and the protests, that the author was talking about. It was also a good chance to talk about fiction vs nonfiction and how this story read like a story by it really happened.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gr.1-3. In this nonfiction information book, Winter uses clear and straightforward language in her narrative. No background knowledge is needed about the red-tail hawk or the story of Pale Male and his mate Lola. The reader is introduced to red-tailed hawks in their typical roosts: cliffs, trees and cacti. Winter then smoothly transitions to the urban nest of hawks Pale Male and Lola atop a building in New York City. Like many new residents in an exclusive apartment building, Pale Male and Lola were scrutinized for their method of garbage disposal. This ultimately leads to their eviction.

Winter’s watercolor paintings clearly support the text’s narrative in their depiction of the hawk’s activities in New York City. There is a bit of whimsy in the use of turquoise and purple for cars and buildings. The author’s note, included as an afterword, answers questions including the origin of Pale Male’s name and more details about the eviction. Though the book is recommended for younger readers, explanation will be needed for terms like “galvanized bird lovers” and “board of [an:] apartment building.”

The only authority given to the author is that she lives near Central Park and often looks for Pale Male and his family. Ms. Winter has a well-respected reputation for writing illustrated biographies for young people. In an interview with Macmillan Books, she explained that she has “always tried to have something to look at in the place where I work.” It seems natural that she be inspired by her neighbor Pale Male. It is surprising that no citations or suggestions for further reading are included since information is posted about Pale Male almost daily. There is no table of contents or index.

This book would be a good companion to City Hawk : the story of Pale Male by Meghan McCarthy that focuses on the birdwatchers rather than the hawks and includes an extensive bibliography.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hard to not compare with Janet Schulman/Meilo So's work on the same theme. Jeanette Winter's flat and stylized images are a stark contrast to Meilo So's. Nonetheless, the spare text is a good companion with the illustrations and makes it a more manageable listen for younger children. The caricaturization of the wealthy and unsympathetic tenants of 927 Fifth Avenue made me laugh to myself.

[J-Lynn Van Pelt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is based on the true story of the hawk family that made their home on top of a New York City apartment building and hunted in central park. It shows how the city rallies to save the nest and protect the hawks after the apartment building tries to remove it.

The pictures are done in a acrylic and are very simple and geometrical.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admit, I think I have a little bird crush. Loved this story. It was introduced to me as part of Non fiction and the common core seminar I attended. The point was that children should read 'stories' that are non fiction instead of boring facts that a lot of children' non fiction has. This would be a great for a report.

[Earl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Focusing on a male bird who had built a nest atop an apartment building across Central Park in New York City, this is how he and his mates (over the years) and their chicks have managed to make lives for themselves. When their nest was threatened- and removed- protesters rallied to have it be reinstalled.

[Peggy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this online, and it was not until I received it that I realized it is a children's book. So I read it anyway in about 5 minutes.

[Bree · Rating 2 out of 5]

Notes:
choppy sentence structure
not as good as "Pale Male" written in 09

[Karla Strand · Rating 3 out of 5]

True story of red-tailed hawks of NYC. Delightful tale and illustrations.

[Amy Rhilinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

my son's first trip to NYC was to visit Pale Male...