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Duet: Our Journey in Song with the Northern Mockingbird
The story of the impactful partnership between humans and mockingbirds, both scientifically and culturally over the centuries, written for young adults by award-winning nonfiction powerhouse Phil Hoose.
The Northern mockingbird’s brilliant song―a loud, bright, liquid sampling of musical notes and phrases―has made it a beloved companion and the official bird of five states. Many of our favorite songs and poems feature mockingbirds.
Mockingbirds have been companions to humans for centuries. Many Native American myths and legends feature mockingbirds, often teaching humans to speak. Thomas Jefferson’s mockingbird, “Dick”, was the first White House pet. John James Audubon’s portrait of a rattlesnake raiding a mockingbird’s nest sparked outrage in the world of art. Atticus Finch’s somber warning to his children, “Remember, it’s a sin to kill a Mockingbird,” is known throughout the world. Some jazz musicians credit mockingbirds with teaching them a four-note call that says, “Break’s over.” And mockingjays―a hybrid between jabberjays and mockers―are a symbol of the rebel cause in the Hunger Games trilogy.
But in the early 1900s the mocker was plummeting toward extinction. Too many had been trapped, sold, and caged. Something had to be done. To the rescue came a powerful and determined group of women.
Now, National Book Award and Newbery honor-winner Phillip Hoose brings the story of the important and overlooked connection between humans and mockingbirds―past, present, and future. It is the third volume of his bird trilogy.
Duet is a study in the power of song. As author Steve Sheinkin puts it, “This book will change how you listen to the world.”
The Northern mockingbird’s brilliant song―a loud, bright, liquid sampling of musical notes and phrases―has made it a beloved companion and the official bird of five states. Many of our favorite songs and poems feature mockingbirds.
Mockingbirds have been companions to humans for centuries. Many Native American myths and legends feature mockingbirds, often teaching humans to speak. Thomas Jefferson’s mockingbird, “Dick”, was the first White House pet. John James Audubon’s portrait of a rattlesnake raiding a mockingbird’s nest sparked outrage in the world of art. Atticus Finch’s somber warning to his children, “Remember, it’s a sin to kill a Mockingbird,” is known throughout the world. Some jazz musicians credit mockingbirds with teaching them a four-note call that says, “Break’s over.” And mockingjays―a hybrid between jabberjays and mockers―are a symbol of the rebel cause in the Hunger Games trilogy.
But in the early 1900s the mocker was plummeting toward extinction. Too many had been trapped, sold, and caged. Something had to be done. To the rescue came a powerful and determined group of women.
Now, National Book Award and Newbery honor-winner Phillip Hoose brings the story of the important and overlooked connection between humans and mockingbirds―past, present, and future. It is the third volume of his bird trilogy.
Duet is a study in the power of song. As author Steve Sheinkin puts it, “This book will change how you listen to the world.”
160 pages, Hardcover
First published September 13, 2022
1 person is currently reading
120 people want to read
About the author
Phillip Hoose
23 books76 followersPhillip Hoose is the widely-acclaimed author of books, essays, stories, songs, and articles, including the National Book Award winning book, Claudette Colvin: Twice Towards Justice.
He is also the author of the multi-award winning title, The Race to Save the Lord God Bird, the National Book Award Finalist We Were There Too!: Young People in U.S. History, and the Christopher Award-winning manual for youth activism It's Our World Too!.
The picture book, Hey, Little Ant which began as a song by the same title was co-authored with his daughter Hannah. The book is beloved around the world with over one million copies in print in ten different languages. Teaching Tolerance Magazine called it, "A masterpiece for teaching values and character education."
Phillip's love of the game is reflected in his acclaimed books, Perfect Once Removed: When Baseball Was All the World to Me which was named one of the Top 10 Sports Books of 2007 by Booklist and Hoosiers: the Fabulous Basketball Life of Indiana.
A graduate of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Sciences, Hoose has been a staff member of The Nature Conservancy since 1977, dedicated to finding and protecting habitats of endangered species.
A songwriter and performing musician, Phillip Hoose is a founding member of the Children's Music Network and a member of the band Chipped Enamel. He lives in Portland, Maine.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/philli...
He is also the author of the multi-award winning title, The Race to Save the Lord God Bird, the National Book Award Finalist We Were There Too!: Young People in U.S. History, and the Christopher Award-winning manual for youth activism It's Our World Too!.
The picture book, Hey, Little Ant which began as a song by the same title was co-authored with his daughter Hannah. The book is beloved around the world with over one million copies in print in ten different languages. Teaching Tolerance Magazine called it, "A masterpiece for teaching values and character education."
Phillip's love of the game is reflected in his acclaimed books, Perfect Once Removed: When Baseball Was All the World to Me which was named one of the Top 10 Sports Books of 2007 by Booklist and Hoosiers: the Fabulous Basketball Life of Indiana.
A graduate of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Sciences, Hoose has been a staff member of The Nature Conservancy since 1977, dedicated to finding and protecting habitats of endangered species.
A songwriter and performing musician, Phillip Hoose is a founding member of the Children's Music Network and a member of the band Chipped Enamel. He lives in Portland, Maine.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/philli...
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
July 2, 2022
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It prompted me to look up mockingbirds on YouTube to study them. Birds are so fascinating. I didn’t know anything about mockingbirds before I read this. Now I have a special affinity for them. A quick, enjoyable read.
October 26, 2022
A fascinating exploration of facts about mockingbirds in cultures and the bird itself. A quick read.
February 17, 2023
The best part of the book was the chapter all about the drama between certain early American bird illustrators- An easy quick read full of interesting anecdotes!
January 21, 2023
A fascinating historical perspective of the northern mockingjay from a man, Hoose, who writes about birds. This accounting goes chronologically, touching on their discovery, moments that Audobon and others like Darwin captured about them, and then to things like popular culture such as Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird and the fictional Mockingjay from the Hunger Games trilogy.
They've been written about for many years including plenty by the Indigenous groups about their replications of songs and how these little birds can have the range and intelligence to do this and impersonate others to protect their brood and attack others like hawks. I think I loved the pictures as much as the story itself.
They've been written about for many years including plenty by the Indigenous groups about their replications of songs and how these little birds can have the range and intelligence to do this and impersonate others to protect their brood and attack others like hawks. I think I loved the pictures as much as the story itself.
September 13, 2022
Rightfully, music becomes an underlying theme in Duet, Phillip Hoose’s newest book focusing on the mockingbird. Five states, including my home state of Mississippi, have chosen it as the official bird. Mockingbirds have their own music and also borrow from other birds, sounds in nature, and even noises that humans make.
Hoose begins his book with an interesting history of mockingbirds with their popularity leading to people trapping them in cages for their songs. People moved them from room to room to enjoy their songs as they went about their work. At one point, so many had been taken for feathers in ladies’ hats or trapped and caged that they became endangered. Women, in what came to be called “the Plume War,” intervened and called for a boycott of hats with feathers.
Many Native American myths and legends feature mockingbirds. They are often referred to in literature with arguably the most famous quote being Atticus Finch’s saying that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird. Musicians refer to them in song and borrow from their music. It’s hard to imagine that anybody could read this book without resorting to a bit of internet research to hear the folk song, “Listen to the Mockingbird.”
The author brings understanding and appreciation for the bird and its interaction with humans. Back matter adds ways humans can contribute to this duet. The morning after I finished reading it, I looked up from my computer to spot a mockingbird perched on a branch of the crepe myrtle outside my window. I’d never thought of us as a duet, but our property provides seeds and berries for his food, water sources, and this tree where he hangs out. He provides his beauty and his song. I thank Phillip Hoose for the metaphor.
Hoose begins his book with an interesting history of mockingbirds with their popularity leading to people trapping them in cages for their songs. People moved them from room to room to enjoy their songs as they went about their work. At one point, so many had been taken for feathers in ladies’ hats or trapped and caged that they became endangered. Women, in what came to be called “the Plume War,” intervened and called for a boycott of hats with feathers.
Many Native American myths and legends feature mockingbirds. They are often referred to in literature with arguably the most famous quote being Atticus Finch’s saying that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird. Musicians refer to them in song and borrow from their music. It’s hard to imagine that anybody could read this book without resorting to a bit of internet research to hear the folk song, “Listen to the Mockingbird.”
The author brings understanding and appreciation for the bird and its interaction with humans. Back matter adds ways humans can contribute to this duet. The morning after I finished reading it, I looked up from my computer to spot a mockingbird perched on a branch of the crepe myrtle outside my window. I’d never thought of us as a duet, but our property provides seeds and berries for his food, water sources, and this tree where he hangs out. He provides his beauty and his song. I thank Phillip Hoose for the metaphor.
September 6, 2022
This isn’t exactly my usual read but in these weird times, I sometimes read weird books. The mockingbird is the state bird of Tennessee, my home state, which caught my attention, and I also loved Mr. Hoose’s previous book, Attucks (now titled Unbeatable) about the first black high school basketball team to reach the state championship. Partly, I was intrigued by this author’s range of interests. Also, it’s highly unusual to have a science/nature book for this age range (10-16). And I’ve read a few birding books over the last 6 years and have lightly been considering picking up the hobby.
It turns out that the mockingbird is not only a crazy-accurate mimic which can sing hundreds if not thousands of songs, which is impressive, but it’s also really resilient. It’s so nice in this day and age to read about a bird that was once endangered and which is now booming in population, almost entirely on its own and not through any human intervention (aside from passing laws.) Once, mockingbirds were really popular pets which meant their babies were captured and tamed, and when that stopped, their populations flourished (it’s an unusual situation as often popularizing an animal or thing makes it more prevalent, not less, but it meant a lot of parent birds were killed, and also those pets didn’t themselves reproduce as they were indoors, and so the reproduction was drastically curtailed.)
Anyway, it’s a very cool bird, official state bird of five states, and it likes living around humans and makes the most of us. We should enjoy them to! You probably do without realizing it.
It turns out that the mockingbird is not only a crazy-accurate mimic which can sing hundreds if not thousands of songs, which is impressive, but it’s also really resilient. It’s so nice in this day and age to read about a bird that was once endangered and which is now booming in population, almost entirely on its own and not through any human intervention (aside from passing laws.) Once, mockingbirds were really popular pets which meant their babies were captured and tamed, and when that stopped, their populations flourished (it’s an unusual situation as often popularizing an animal or thing makes it more prevalent, not less, but it meant a lot of parent birds were killed, and also those pets didn’t themselves reproduce as they were indoors, and so the reproduction was drastically curtailed.)
Anyway, it’s a very cool bird, official state bird of five states, and it likes living around humans and makes the most of us. We should enjoy them to! You probably do without realizing it.
September 9, 2022
We have dozens of mockingbirds in our backyard during the spring and summer months; oddly enough this past summer they have been making similar sounds that our dog makes! Of course, they also love to dive-bomb him and chase him around the yard (away from the berry-bushes and grape vines!). I loved the cover on this book, and to be completely honest, I downloaded it simply because of the cover. But I was delighted by the information I found in these pages about these amazing birds.
Growing up during the Hunger Games craze, I found myself reflecting back on the mockingjays the novel discusses early on during my reading of Duet. Of course, mockingbirds were the inspiration behind mockingjays, and it was even discussed in Duet!
Duet was was quick to read—about three hours of interrupted reading!—and easy to understand. This was perfect for middle-schoolers and high-schoolers, providing interesting information and historical connections. I appreciated the anecdotes included and truly enjoyed the history shared by Phillip Hoose about these birds.
Growing up during the Hunger Games craze, I found myself reflecting back on the mockingjays the novel discusses early on during my reading of Duet. Of course, mockingbirds were the inspiration behind mockingjays, and it was even discussed in Duet!
Duet was was quick to read—about three hours of interrupted reading!—and easy to understand. This was perfect for middle-schoolers and high-schoolers, providing interesting information and historical connections. I appreciated the anecdotes included and truly enjoyed the history shared by Phillip Hoose about these birds.
September 10, 2022
Phillip Hoose is a well-known and well-respected author of children's nonfiction. I read and enjoyed his Moonbird, so I was excited to find another bird book on offer. The mockingbird has a storied history in the United States, probably known to most through a lullaby and Pulitzer-prize winning novel. The author chose to chronicle our complicated relationship to the mockingbird through the musical concept of duet. Of course, a duet doesn't work unless each side is balanced, which we find in reading has definitely not been the case as our love of the bird led to decreasing wild populations, but also to increasing protections for birds. I found the content fascinating and I am excited to learn more about mockingbirds, but I found the organization of content a little scattered. Hoose chose to tell the story in a somewhat linear fashion, which I think unnecessarily broke the narrative. I would have preferred organizing by topic than chronology.
September 18, 2023
"Duet: Our Journey in Song with the Northern Mockingbird" is another fine book by Philip Hoose who also wrote "The Race to Save the Lord God Bird" and " Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice" as well as other popular award winning books. This book and the other ones I mentioned seem to effortlessly bridge the gap between adult and youth literature. In Duet the author tells us how the Northern Mockingbird is connected with the history of North America and the rich and varied songs the Mockingbird sings, thereby living up to its name. Hoose also includes popular songs about the Mockingbird and points out that many species of birds are diminishing in numbers including the Northern Mockingbird. Few non-human creatures have played a bigger part in the literature, history, and music of this country than the Northern Mockingbird. This book is very informative and rewarding.
April 9, 2023
First, thanks to Octavia Books, New Orleans, for hosting Mr. Hoose and making this lovely, signed, book available. It has been a pleasure.
Somehow the mockingbird has eluded me over these many decades. I had to go to that marvelous source, YouTube, for a singing lesson. As for the visuals, Mr. Hoose's volume provides many stunning photographs. My favorite is of a hapless hawk being not only harried but actually ridden by an irate mockingbird. They embody the word 'feisty' and point a condemning wingtip at those who have sullied the word.
This is not a large volume but is quite well put together. Purported to be a book for young readers, I can only guess that that means 'short' because the rest is so well done.
Recommended.
Somehow the mockingbird has eluded me over these many decades. I had to go to that marvelous source, YouTube, for a singing lesson. As for the visuals, Mr. Hoose's volume provides many stunning photographs. My favorite is of a hapless hawk being not only harried but actually ridden by an irate mockingbird. They embody the word 'feisty' and point a condemning wingtip at those who have sullied the word.
This is not a large volume but is quite well put together. Purported to be a book for young readers, I can only guess that that means 'short' because the rest is so well done.
Recommended.
January 9, 2023
3.5 stars
Hoose takes on the story of the mockingbird in his latest non-fiction work: "Duet". It is an engaging read that linearly follows the history of this bird that was once extremely common. Sadly, humans decimated the population although conservation efforts have been able to start bringing the numbers back up again. Readers may also make the connection between the mocking bird and Suzanne Collins' MockingJay from the Hunger Game series (which is mentioned in the book). There is a little something for everyone here: science, music, literature, and history - as well as a bit of a push to do your part to keep this bird (and others) prospering in the future.
I feel like it always takes a special kind of student to pick up these books. Even animal lovers aren't as inclined to choose the books about birds for some reason. It's a good addition to your collection, however, especially for a focus on animal rights and/or activism.
Hoose takes on the story of the mockingbird in his latest non-fiction work: "Duet". It is an engaging read that linearly follows the history of this bird that was once extremely common. Sadly, humans decimated the population although conservation efforts have been able to start bringing the numbers back up again. Readers may also make the connection between the mocking bird and Suzanne Collins' MockingJay from the Hunger Game series (which is mentioned in the book). There is a little something for everyone here: science, music, literature, and history - as well as a bit of a push to do your part to keep this bird (and others) prospering in the future.
I feel like it always takes a special kind of student to pick up these books. Even animal lovers aren't as inclined to choose the books about birds for some reason. It's a good addition to your collection, however, especially for a focus on animal rights and/or activism.
November 12, 2022
Author Phillip Hoose is a reliably effective and entertaining author of nonfiction content. In this case I learned what a longtime bird-fan he is, as I am. He is enamored with mockingbirds for all the reasons he presents, and his arguments/evidence are highly persuasive. A short but thorough text with excellent organization and readability make this a strong recommendation for anyone, but especially for those who are also fans of birds.
July 14, 2025
Nonfiction middle grade to young adult. I have really enjoyed the other four Phillip Hoose books I have read. I do not think this book is as good as his other books. This one is more about the relationship humans have to mockingbirds, including folklore, than it is about the birds themselves. Written during the pandemic shutdown, this one doesn't have the face-to-face interviews and relationships that Hoose usually includes.
October 31, 2022
I love bird books. This one covers the changing relationship between people and the mocker, from pet to talisman and all over the map. It shows the growth of conservation and an understanding of ecology, the use of symbols in books, songs, and movies, and how we are still learning things about birds today -- mockingbirds, like crows, recognize individual people and hold grudges.
April 30, 2024
This is a short but interesting look at the ways the mockingbird has intersected with human society. I particularly liked how it covered the journey of the mockingbird commonly being kept cages in homes to the way it is protected as a songbird today.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
July 21, 2025
This was a fascinating read! I learned so much, from the origins of "Hush Little Baby" to the sale of young mockingbirds as pets to their ability to sample songs of other birds to their fierce ability to protect their young from predators. This chronological exploration of mockingbirds in North and South America is a must read for bird lovers!
November 24, 2022
A very fast read about the Northern Mockingbird, through the lens of how the mockingbird and humanity interact. Cool pictures and fascinating tidbits of information about the bird that would interest any fledgling birder. 4.5 stars for the excellent mimic.
February 15, 2023
Beautiful color photos in chapters of comfortable length explore the history of the northern mockingbird of the New World. Popular as a caged mousebird of the 1700-1800's, its numbers fell. It is adapting to urban life and climate change. A truly special songbird.
September 25, 2023
A short cornucopia of information about the mockingbird. It includes tidbits about the bird’s natural history, song, behavior, popularity as a pet, efforts to protect it, threats, and references to mockingbirds in song and literature.
May 5, 2024
Well-researched and -resourced book on the role that mockingbirds play in human lives. Perfect for our 7th grade science curriculum on biomes and 6th grade science's study of environmental science.the text is clear and engaging, and the illustrations are helpful.
August 18, 2022
Always a fan of this author!
January 30, 2023
I loved this book! I love learning about books and I learned a lot of things about mockingbirds. Definitely would recommend this as a gift to people who love birds.
February 5, 2023
Maybe I wasn't paying enough attention, but I found this v. boring
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May 2, 2023Northern mockingbirds in pop culture, history, and mythology. Conservation. Humans and animals. Songbirds. Nightingales.
December 6, 2022
Phil Hoose never disappoints. Now I want to see a mockingbird. I hear they are in Maine but I don't hear my bird watcher friends in central Maine talking about them so I don't think I've seen one (although I suppose I could have heard one since they are such mimics).
February 13, 2024
Quick, fun read of stories of Mockingbirds through hiatory.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews