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Scientists in the Field
Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World's Strangest Parrot
On remote Codfish Island off the southern coast of New Zealand live the last ninety-one kakapo parrots on earth. These trusting, flightless, and beautiful birds—the largest and most unusual parrots on earth—have suffered devastating population loss.
Now, on an island refuge with the last of the species, New Zealand’s National Kakapo Recovery Team is working to restore the kakapo population. With the help of fourteen humans who share a single hut and a passion for saving these odd ground-dwelling birds, the kakapo are making a comeback in New Zealand.
Follow intrepid animal lovers Sy Montgomery and Nic Bishop on a ten-day excursion to witness the exciting events in the life of the kakapo.
Now, on an island refuge with the last of the species, New Zealand’s National Kakapo Recovery Team is working to restore the kakapo population. With the help of fourteen humans who share a single hut and a passion for saving these odd ground-dwelling birds, the kakapo are making a comeback in New Zealand.
Follow intrepid animal lovers Sy Montgomery and Nic Bishop on a ten-day excursion to witness the exciting events in the life of the kakapo.
80 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
15 people are currently reading
1046 people want to read
About the author
Sy Montgomery
71 books2,075 followersPart Indiana Jones, part Emily Dickinson, as the Boston Globe describes her, Sy Montgomery is an author, naturalist, documentary scriptwriter, and radio commentator who has traveled to some of the worlds most remote wildernesses for her work. She has worked in a pit crawling with 18,000 snakes in Manitoba, been hunted by a tiger in India, swum with pink dolphins in the Amazon, and been undressed by an orangutan in Borneo. She is the author of 13 award-winning books, including her national best-selling memoir, The Good Good Pig. Montgomery lives in Hancock, New Hampshire.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 301 reviews
February 4, 2017
This is a strange little 9 pound parrot that cannot fly, smells like honey, and can live to be 100 years old. They sleep during the day and forage at night. An endangered species, the Kakapo, - pronounced KAR-ka-poe - that only reside on an island just outside New Zealand, called Codfish Island, where a full blown recovery team works 24/7 to maintain and increase their fragile numbers. These whiskered, owl-faced parrots do not talk, but they can growl like a dog, boom like a bullfrog, and ching like a cash register. This is the true story of an amazing little bird being brought back from extinction. As of November 2016 there were 154 Kakapo currently alive.
To hear the bird calls and to see current information there is a web site: www.kakaporecovery.org.nz
Please take note that not all the information on the website and from the book are in agreement.
To hear the bird calls and to see current information there is a web site: www.kakaporecovery.org.nz
Please take note that not all the information on the website and from the book are in agreement.
August 3, 2023
Now as much as I have indeed enjoyed Sy Montgomery's Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World's Strangest Parrot, I do find the use of the word strange in the title to describe the Kakapo both a bit off-putting and even potentially insulting, as for me, calling an animal species, labelling anything for that matter as strange has right from the onset a bit of negativity attached to it, and thus, it in my opinion would have been much better and less potentially stigmatising to have called the Kakapo a unique parrot and not a strange one (perhaps just a minor question of semantics, but to and for me, the Kakapo is not a weird, is not a strange, is not an uncanny, but simply a unique and very special type of bird).
Both readable and enlightening, and written in a manner that is neither too factually dry nor too dumbed down, Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World's Strangest Parrot unfortunately also tends to read as massively infuriating and frustrating at times. For even though the account of how the critically endangered Kakapo species is now being protected is in and of itself generally very much positive and a tale of dedication, of perseverance (even in the face of challenges and tragic set-backs), of the glorious and appreciated truth that New Zealand is in fact actively trying to save the Kakapo from otherwise certain extinction, the inconvenient but saliently true fact of the matter absolutely remains and will always remain that the current sad plight and critically endangered status of the Kakapo is almost entirely because human activity, is due to deforestation, but also and more importantly, due to humans having introduced non endemic invasive mammal species such as rats, stoats, rabbits, cats, dogs and the like into an ecosystem that had evolved in total isolation (and without any mammals except for a few species of bats) and thus contained many flightless birds and other animals that were instinctively not used to massive predation from terrestrial mammals.
And quite frankly, while I do much appreciate that author Sy Montgomery has been pretty well and relentlessly adamant with regard to faulting humans and our activities, especially our introduction of stoats and rats into New Zealand for the Kakapo's near total demise, there really should have been a bit more harsh criticism and severe condemnation with regard to especially domestic cats and dogs, as while they are indeed mentioned as a threat to the Kakapo and other endemic New Zealand birds, personally I feel as though the former has not in any manner gone far enough (almost as if the author is somewhat worried about offending cat and dog owners, which might, I guess, be politically prudent, but saving the Kakapo and showing how both wild and domesticated non endemic mammal species have often totally decimated New Zealand's ecosystems is at least in my opinion of considerably more importance and necessity than catering to the feelings of pet owners and even farmers).
Now don't get me wrong, I have actually indeed and in fact very much much loved and appreciated my perusal of Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World's Strangest Parrot. And one of my favourite chapters is the section that deals with the hand-raised male Kakapo Scirocco and that because of him having been raised by humans, he considers himself to not be a parrot but a human being, that he has imprinted on humans and thus during mating season tries to mate with humans and not Kakapo females (and while yes, the pictures of Scirocco trying to basically "shag" a human's head are perhaps amusing to a point, for one he has very sharp claws that tend to draw blood and for two a hand-raised Kakapo male refusing to mate with female Kakapos because he prefers human company is obviously also not all that conductive for producing more and desperately needed viable Kakapo chicks).
Finally, and even with my mild criticisms, I do absolutely and gladly highly recommend Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World's Strangest Parrot (as both Sy Montgomery 's narrative and Nic Bishop's accompanying photographs are evocative, enlightening, and the featured Kakapo pictures even sometimes rather majorly entertaining, as Kakapos are curious, trusting, will often seemingly seek out humans and investigate human activity, and do take rather grand and spectacular photographs), with the select bibliography much academically appreciated (not very many listed books, but most of them comparatively recently published), and especially the mailing address of the New Zealand Kakapo Recovery Program (and how readers can help with financial donations) is very much both an added (and in my humble opinion necessary) bonus, as these types of animal species recovery missions all cost money (an incubator costs $800.00), and as author Sy Montgomery has stated, every donation, no matter how small, helps.
Both readable and enlightening, and written in a manner that is neither too factually dry nor too dumbed down, Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World's Strangest Parrot unfortunately also tends to read as massively infuriating and frustrating at times. For even though the account of how the critically endangered Kakapo species is now being protected is in and of itself generally very much positive and a tale of dedication, of perseverance (even in the face of challenges and tragic set-backs), of the glorious and appreciated truth that New Zealand is in fact actively trying to save the Kakapo from otherwise certain extinction, the inconvenient but saliently true fact of the matter absolutely remains and will always remain that the current sad plight and critically endangered status of the Kakapo is almost entirely because human activity, is due to deforestation, but also and more importantly, due to humans having introduced non endemic invasive mammal species such as rats, stoats, rabbits, cats, dogs and the like into an ecosystem that had evolved in total isolation (and without any mammals except for a few species of bats) and thus contained many flightless birds and other animals that were instinctively not used to massive predation from terrestrial mammals.
And quite frankly, while I do much appreciate that author Sy Montgomery has been pretty well and relentlessly adamant with regard to faulting humans and our activities, especially our introduction of stoats and rats into New Zealand for the Kakapo's near total demise, there really should have been a bit more harsh criticism and severe condemnation with regard to especially domestic cats and dogs, as while they are indeed mentioned as a threat to the Kakapo and other endemic New Zealand birds, personally I feel as though the former has not in any manner gone far enough (almost as if the author is somewhat worried about offending cat and dog owners, which might, I guess, be politically prudent, but saving the Kakapo and showing how both wild and domesticated non endemic mammal species have often totally decimated New Zealand's ecosystems is at least in my opinion of considerably more importance and necessity than catering to the feelings of pet owners and even farmers).
Now don't get me wrong, I have actually indeed and in fact very much much loved and appreciated my perusal of Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World's Strangest Parrot. And one of my favourite chapters is the section that deals with the hand-raised male Kakapo Scirocco and that because of him having been raised by humans, he considers himself to not be a parrot but a human being, that he has imprinted on humans and thus during mating season tries to mate with humans and not Kakapo females (and while yes, the pictures of Scirocco trying to basically "shag" a human's head are perhaps amusing to a point, for one he has very sharp claws that tend to draw blood and for two a hand-raised Kakapo male refusing to mate with female Kakapos because he prefers human company is obviously also not all that conductive for producing more and desperately needed viable Kakapo chicks).
Finally, and even with my mild criticisms, I do absolutely and gladly highly recommend Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World's Strangest Parrot (as both Sy Montgomery 's narrative and Nic Bishop's accompanying photographs are evocative, enlightening, and the featured Kakapo pictures even sometimes rather majorly entertaining, as Kakapos are curious, trusting, will often seemingly seek out humans and investigate human activity, and do take rather grand and spectacular photographs), with the select bibliography much academically appreciated (not very many listed books, but most of them comparatively recently published), and especially the mailing address of the New Zealand Kakapo Recovery Program (and how readers can help with financial donations) is very much both an added (and in my humble opinion necessary) bonus, as these types of animal species recovery missions all cost money (an incubator costs $800.00), and as author Sy Montgomery has stated, every donation, no matter how small, helps.
July 14, 2018
Science as a verb. The nitty-gritty, the hard work, the attention to detail, the heartbreak.... This book is absolutely not just for kids, or just for parrot fans.
Anyone looking for a career, or a second career, should consider what they can do for the creatures our human self-centeredness has displaced. This book, without being annoyingly preachy, makes it clear why.
Btw, as of Jan. 12, 2018, the population count of Kakapos is at 151... great progress!
And, on a tangential note outside the book, if you don't follow species' recoveries, you might be surprised to learn how much we've been able to help whooping cranes, California condors, and American bison, for example. Look 'em up.
Anyone looking for a career, or a second career, should consider what they can do for the creatures our human self-centeredness has displaced. This book, without being annoyingly preachy, makes it clear why.
Btw, as of Jan. 12, 2018, the population count of Kakapos is at 151... great progress!
And, on a tangential note outside the book, if you don't follow species' recoveries, you might be surprised to learn how much we've been able to help whooping cranes, California condors, and American bison, for example. Look 'em up.
December 9, 2024
The kākāpō are an endangered, flightless, green feathered, ground dwelling, tree climbing parrot, that smells like honey, may live for a century, sleeps during the day and forages at night. These heavy, owl-faced and whiskered parrots do not "talk", but rather "growl like a dog, boom like a bullfrog, and ching like a cash register". They also only reside on the isolated island of Codfish off the coast of New Zealand after all the remaining kākāpō were transferred there in an attempt to rescue the species from the brink of extinction.
I believe this is supposed to be a children's book. However, it works just fine for adults too. I listened to the audiobook, but the physical book apparently has numerous beautiful photographs. With an easy going, conversational style, Montgomery provides a book that is a mix of history, information on the kākāpō, and documents a group of scientists, rangers and volunteers, in the field, concerned with the study and rescue of the kākāpō from the brink of extinction. Similarly to the other "Scientists in the Field" books, readers are exposed to what it is that these particular scientists actually do, and why this is important. Interesting, informative and engaging.
P.S.: According to the official website (https://www.doc.govt.nz/kakapo-recovery), there are now 244 kākāpō alive today (December 2024), from a population of around ninety in 2010 when the book was published.
I believe this is supposed to be a children's book. However, it works just fine for adults too. I listened to the audiobook, but the physical book apparently has numerous beautiful photographs. With an easy going, conversational style, Montgomery provides a book that is a mix of history, information on the kākāpō, and documents a group of scientists, rangers and volunteers, in the field, concerned with the study and rescue of the kākāpō from the brink of extinction. Similarly to the other "Scientists in the Field" books, readers are exposed to what it is that these particular scientists actually do, and why this is important. Interesting, informative and engaging.
P.S.: According to the official website (https://www.doc.govt.nz/kakapo-recovery), there are now 244 kākāpō alive today (December 2024), from a population of around ninety in 2010 when the book was published.
October 8, 2010
One Sentence Review: Not only does this make the greatest nonfiction booktalk of all time ("It's about gigantic parrots that can't fly and smell like honey!!") but the storytelling and the photography really set this one apart from the pack.
February 24, 2011
I find it difficult to convey my enthusiasm for this book without sounding ridiculous. "It's about these parrots! That smell like honey! And they're almost extinct, and these people had to wait five years for a chick to hatch so they could go to New Zealand for ten days to write this book! You should totally read it." Yeah. But that's pretty much how I feel.
The story has a great sense of urgency, both because the parrots are so endangered (87 are living at one point during the course of the book) and because Sy Montgomery and Nic Bishop had such a short window of time to do on-site research, gather observations, and take photographs (visitors are only allowed to stay on the parrots' island for ten days). I'm not normally the type to get worked up over an endangered species, although I do believe we humans need to undo some of the damage we've done, but these birds were thrilling, and I give credit for my enthusiasm to Montgomery and Bishop for gripping storytelling and great photos.
As with other Scientists in the Field books, readers really get a sense of what it is that scientists do and why their jobs are important and interesting (I say this as someone who never enjoyed science class). Here, we see the dedication of the scientists (and the governmental support they receive) as well as what their day-to-day job entails. Waking up at all hours to help heat a kakapo chick? Check. Hiking through all weather to locate birds and monitor food supplies? Check. Store a dead penguin in your fridge? Check. Highly recommended for budding scientists or environmentalists, maybe fourth grade and up (that includes you, grown-ups).
The story has a great sense of urgency, both because the parrots are so endangered (87 are living at one point during the course of the book) and because Sy Montgomery and Nic Bishop had such a short window of time to do on-site research, gather observations, and take photographs (visitors are only allowed to stay on the parrots' island for ten days). I'm not normally the type to get worked up over an endangered species, although I do believe we humans need to undo some of the damage we've done, but these birds were thrilling, and I give credit for my enthusiasm to Montgomery and Bishop for gripping storytelling and great photos.
As with other Scientists in the Field books, readers really get a sense of what it is that scientists do and why their jobs are important and interesting (I say this as someone who never enjoyed science class). Here, we see the dedication of the scientists (and the governmental support they receive) as well as what their day-to-day job entails. Waking up at all hours to help heat a kakapo chick? Check. Hiking through all weather to locate birds and monitor food supplies? Check. Store a dead penguin in your fridge? Check. Highly recommended for budding scientists or environmentalists, maybe fourth grade and up (that includes you, grown-ups).
April 14, 2011
Confession: I wasn't much of a non-fiction reader growing up. I loved being swept up in stories. I loved the mystery, the drama, the tension of a great novel, whether it took place in a fantasy world or a town that felt just like mine. And when I thought about non-fiction, I generally thought of things like my junior high school social studies book, which was....fine, I guess...and even occasionally interesting, but certainly not something I'd read for fun.
But lately, I've turned into something of a non-fiction fanatic. The reason? Narrative non-fiction gems like those in the Scientists in the Field series. My love of this series started with Loree Griffin Burns's TRACKING TRASH and THE HIVE DETECTIVES, and most recently, I devoured KAKAPO RESCUE: SAVING THE WORLD'S STRANGEST PARROT in a single breathless sitting.
This is the story of a small group of scientists, rangers, and volunteers on a life-or-death mission to save a species from extinction. When the book starts, there are fewer than ninety endangered Kakapos alive on a tiny, rugged island off mainland New Zealand. Fewer than ninety! And that means every bird, every egg, and every chick is beyond precious. Reading about the steps these scientists and volunteers take to keep them alive - and bring new birds into the world safely - is as thrilling and compelling as any novel I've ever read. Truly, this book has everything, joy and triumph and tragedy - even a funny, stalking, lovesick male parrot with an identity crisis. Highly, highly recommended.
But lately, I've turned into something of a non-fiction fanatic. The reason? Narrative non-fiction gems like those in the Scientists in the Field series. My love of this series started with Loree Griffin Burns's TRACKING TRASH and THE HIVE DETECTIVES, and most recently, I devoured KAKAPO RESCUE: SAVING THE WORLD'S STRANGEST PARROT in a single breathless sitting.
This is the story of a small group of scientists, rangers, and volunteers on a life-or-death mission to save a species from extinction. When the book starts, there are fewer than ninety endangered Kakapos alive on a tiny, rugged island off mainland New Zealand. Fewer than ninety! And that means every bird, every egg, and every chick is beyond precious. Reading about the steps these scientists and volunteers take to keep them alive - and bring new birds into the world safely - is as thrilling and compelling as any novel I've ever read. Truly, this book has everything, joy and triumph and tragedy - even a funny, stalking, lovesick male parrot with an identity crisis. Highly, highly recommended.
April 28, 2020
Always a fan of the Scientists in the Field series, I was eager to read about this very unusual bird.
I mean, who knew that there is a bird who has whiskers like a cat?!?
This book takes the reader to a small, uninhabited island off the southern coast of New Zealand. On Codfish Island, a small group of scientists are trying desperately to help this species of bird, once hunted and killed by invasive predators to the point of extinction, repopulate its numbers.
Overall, it's a fantastic story and a wonderful way to learn more about the beauty of nature as well as the damage that man has inflicted upon it.
Cheryl mentions in her review dated 12 January 2018 that the Kakapo population was up to 151, so I thought I'd take a look at the official website by the New Zealand Department of Conservation.
Looking at the page, I see that in the last two years, the population has grown to 211, largely due to the efforts of these scientists (and apparently a very good rimu seed and fruit-growing season).
This is the largest population in over 70 years and the outlook for another bumper season for rimu is expected in 2022, which bodes well for more chicks to be born.
But not all the news is quite so rosy. Unfortunately, the birds are plagued by a fungal infection, called Aspergillosis, and nine birds died last year. So the challenges faced by those who are dedicating their lives to saving this species are still very difficult.
Different ways to donate are available online and the Kakapo Recovery group even has their own Facebook page, with fun pictures, video, updated information, and even this fun diagram drawn by one of the rangers, Sarah May Little:
This book was selected as one of the books for the January 2018 - Birds discussion at The Miscellaneous Club in the Children's Books group here at Goodreads.
I mean, who knew that there is a bird who has whiskers like a cat?!?
This book takes the reader to a small, uninhabited island off the southern coast of New Zealand. On Codfish Island, a small group of scientists are trying desperately to help this species of bird, once hunted and killed by invasive predators to the point of extinction, repopulate its numbers.
Overall, it's a fantastic story and a wonderful way to learn more about the beauty of nature as well as the damage that man has inflicted upon it.
Cheryl mentions in her review dated 12 January 2018 that the Kakapo population was up to 151, so I thought I'd take a look at the official website by the New Zealand Department of Conservation.
Looking at the page, I see that in the last two years, the population has grown to 211, largely due to the efforts of these scientists (and apparently a very good rimu seed and fruit-growing season).
This is the largest population in over 70 years and the outlook for another bumper season for rimu is expected in 2022, which bodes well for more chicks to be born.
But not all the news is quite so rosy. Unfortunately, the birds are plagued by a fungal infection, called Aspergillosis, and nine birds died last year. So the challenges faced by those who are dedicating their lives to saving this species are still very difficult.
Different ways to donate are available online and the Kakapo Recovery group even has their own Facebook page, with fun pictures, video, updated information, and even this fun diagram drawn by one of the rangers, Sarah May Little:
This book was selected as one of the books for the January 2018 - Birds discussion at The Miscellaneous Club in the Children's Books group here at Goodreads.
December 22, 2014
This book chronicles the visit of author, Sy Montgomery and photographer, Nic Bishop’s visit to Codfish Island off the southern tip of New Zealand to show the steps being taken to save the kakapo parrot from the brink of extinction. This book won the Robert F. Sibert award in 2011. It is especially detailed and incredibly interesting. The book begins with a story of one of the parrots. At the end of the first chapter, it gives basic facts about the kakapo parrots. The next chapter is about the history of these parrots life and how they came to be on the brink of extinction. The story discusses why Codfish Island is being used for the recovery of these birds. They are the world’s heaviest parrots, but they can’t fly. They travel on foot, even climbing trees. The story then starts over with the author and photographer’s preparing for and arrival on the island. The two of them in vivid word pictures describe their ten days on Codfish Island and the work being done, mostly by volunteers, to try to bring kakapo parrots back from almost being extinct. They show the excitement of Ranger Jeff, who says, “I’ve waited two and a half years for this,” talking about seeing and holding a new baby chick to check on its health. When Montgomery and Bishop left the island, there were 87 kakapo in the world, and as of the end of autumn that year the number had become 91. I checked before writing this review and there are now 126, down from a high of 131 last June.
The fact that Montgomery and Bishop spent ten days on Codfish Island following the rangers and volunteers around on their work shows authenticity. The fact that on the last day while eating lunch a kakapo comes up to them and they are humbled and worried about doing something that could ultimately hurt it shows the depth of their feeling about the project. Using ranger and volunteer quotes gives the story accuracy as well. The photographs and drawings of ferns and sticks on pages make the reader feel as if he is there on the island with them.
This book would be good for grades 3-6 for a unit on endangered species and what is being done about it. This would make a nice read aloud since the ten day visit is told like a story.
The fact that Montgomery and Bishop spent ten days on Codfish Island following the rangers and volunteers around on their work shows authenticity. The fact that on the last day while eating lunch a kakapo comes up to them and they are humbled and worried about doing something that could ultimately hurt it shows the depth of their feeling about the project. Using ranger and volunteer quotes gives the story accuracy as well. The photographs and drawings of ferns and sticks on pages make the reader feel as if he is there on the island with them.
This book would be good for grades 3-6 for a unit on endangered species and what is being done about it. This would make a nice read aloud since the ten day visit is told like a story.
July 21, 2013
Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World’s Strangest Parrot
Robert F. Sibert Medal Winner 2011
By Sy Montgomery
Audience: intermediate
Genre: nonfiction
Absolutely stunning photographs accompany this detailed documentary of the journey a group of researchers take to rescue the kakapos. Truly an adventure- I would use it as a source book, rather than assigning it for kids to read cover to cover.
Activities/Questions for each level of Bloom’s Taxonomy with rationale
Remembering: Where is Codfish Island located in relation to New Zealand and the rest of the world?
For students to have a firm grasp of geography and be able to pinpoint a specific place on a world map is a very important skill.
Understanding: Can you explain why the people in this book are willing to work so hard to help save a parrot?
I am hoping this question (and the book itself) will help illustrate the intrinsic value of animals and ecosystems for young people, particularly those who may have no experience with the great outdoors.
Applying: If you could conduct an interview with ranger Jeff Hall, what questions would you ask him about his research and adventures with the kakapos?
The rationale for this question is two-fold. First, it provides an experience for students to practice the interviewing process, a valuable life skill. Second, it carries the information they have gained from the story to the next level of connecting it to their own lives by requesting more information.
Evaluating: What is your opinion of the name the Maoris chose for this parrot, kakapo, meaning ‘night parrot’? What name would you recommend if you had the opportunity to rename them and why?
This kind of evaluating is fun for students because they get to claim ownership and feel empowered by the thought of being in charge of naming something. They usually generate very interesting ideas and discussions with this type of questioning.
Analyzing: Produce/write an ‘infomercial’ to spread the news about the kakapo parrots to the general public. Include details to persuade others to become involved, donate money, or provide support to the cause.
Making students good citizens involves having them take responsibility and demonstrate caring for the world around them. Doing the infomercial would definitely make it fun for them as well.
Creating: The scientists used many inventions and technologies to help the kakapos. For instance, the backpack transmitter that was fitted for Flossie really contributed a lot of information to the program as a whole. What invention idea do you have that could be used for the further research of the kakapos or another endangered animal? Explain it in your own words and draw a diagram so others can picture what you invented.
This one gets the creative juices flowing. Kids love to invent things and the opportunity to draw and sketch is an added practice with visual literacy.
Robert F. Sibert Medal Winner 2011
By Sy Montgomery
Audience: intermediate
Genre: nonfiction
Absolutely stunning photographs accompany this detailed documentary of the journey a group of researchers take to rescue the kakapos. Truly an adventure- I would use it as a source book, rather than assigning it for kids to read cover to cover.
Activities/Questions for each level of Bloom’s Taxonomy with rationale
Remembering: Where is Codfish Island located in relation to New Zealand and the rest of the world?
For students to have a firm grasp of geography and be able to pinpoint a specific place on a world map is a very important skill.
Understanding: Can you explain why the people in this book are willing to work so hard to help save a parrot?
I am hoping this question (and the book itself) will help illustrate the intrinsic value of animals and ecosystems for young people, particularly those who may have no experience with the great outdoors.
Applying: If you could conduct an interview with ranger Jeff Hall, what questions would you ask him about his research and adventures with the kakapos?
The rationale for this question is two-fold. First, it provides an experience for students to practice the interviewing process, a valuable life skill. Second, it carries the information they have gained from the story to the next level of connecting it to their own lives by requesting more information.
Evaluating: What is your opinion of the name the Maoris chose for this parrot, kakapo, meaning ‘night parrot’? What name would you recommend if you had the opportunity to rename them and why?
This kind of evaluating is fun for students because they get to claim ownership and feel empowered by the thought of being in charge of naming something. They usually generate very interesting ideas and discussions with this type of questioning.
Analyzing: Produce/write an ‘infomercial’ to spread the news about the kakapo parrots to the general public. Include details to persuade others to become involved, donate money, or provide support to the cause.
Making students good citizens involves having them take responsibility and demonstrate caring for the world around them. Doing the infomercial would definitely make it fun for them as well.
Creating: The scientists used many inventions and technologies to help the kakapos. For instance, the backpack transmitter that was fitted for Flossie really contributed a lot of information to the program as a whole. What invention idea do you have that could be used for the further research of the kakapos or another endangered animal? Explain it in your own words and draw a diagram so others can picture what you invented.
This one gets the creative juices flowing. Kids love to invent things and the opportunity to draw and sketch is an added practice with visual literacy.
June 6, 2012
This book written by Sy Montgomery and photographed by Nic Bishop is about the extinction and rescue of the Kakapo(Kar-ka-poe)Bird from New Zealand told by nest-minders(a team that observes, cares for, and helps rescue kakapo's and other to-be extinct animals);scientists in the field. With only eighty-seven in existence, kakapos were all taken and put on Codfish Island in New Zealand (a sterilized, nearly impossible island to get to). Nest-minders are sterilized and taken to Codfish for short amounts of time (ten days or so permits) to check on the population of rare animals near extinction, people wait years for this experience. All data is monitored and analyzed. The curator of the London museum describes kakapos as "sweet-smelling, beautiful, big, soft, trusting, and playful, kakapo steals your heart"(pg. 5). Other nearly extinct animals live there also, such as the short-tailed bat, fiordland crested penguin, and the tiny tomtits. This book is ten chapters and filled with facts and pictures that draw you into the book. A website devoted to the kakapo recovery program is updated regularly at www.kakaporecovery.org.nz.
March 12, 2011
The kapako is a rare species of flightless parrot unique to New Zealand. It is a large bird, weighing in at nearly 9 lbs, with soft, mossy-green feathers that smell like a mixture of honey and peat. Its large size and generally sanguine nature make it an easy target for predators (both human and introduced species such as rats, cats, and stoats), and it was hunted nearly into extinction in the past couple centuries. Small populations of the birds were discovered about 70 years ago, and the remaining birds were relocated to remote islands off of the coast of New Zealand where researchers and volunteers now attempt to increase their numbers. It is difficult work, but the payoffs of getting to study the birds (and see the chicks!) are worth it. This is a beautiful and informative book – Sy Montgomery tells the kakapo’s story with warmth and reverence, and Nic Bishop’s photographs of the birds and their surrounding environs are breathtaking. Budding conservationists, young and old, will enjoy reading about the efforts to save the kapako. Wonderful book.
October 10, 2010
If I could kiss a book and tell it I loved it with all my heart, you just know that's what I'd be doing with this one. Montgomery has a knack for finding interesting subjects for her nonfiction chapter books, but she's outdone herself with this one. Aside from the tantalizing term "World's Strangest Parrot" in the title, there's not a soul alive who won't finish this book and immediately want a kakapo of their very own. Practically driven to extinction in the wake of humans and other animals, this New Zealand native has since been moved to an island of its own. When the book begins, less that 90 kakapos exist in the world today. Researchers tend to them around the clock, checking up on their babies and monitoring their lives. Kids reading the book get an in-depth look at one of the rare times that humans do everything in their power to save another species. Heartbreaking and utterly beautiful by turns, this book has truly earned the five starred reviews it has received. - B
April 7, 2011
I picked this up for an earth day book talk I'm doing, and I'm SO glad I did. Wow, I'd never thought to experience such a broad range of emotions in a book about birds. I'm excited to book talk it--along with hoot and some other great titles. I went to the Kakapo rescue site and saw that as of March 2011 there were 100 Kakapo, up from the total in the book, but several important birds have died. In one part of the book they refer to watching the birds as being like a soap opera, which it does have similar highs and lows of emotions, the fate of the very small population seems so much more important.
October 9, 2018
A nocturnal parrot that can't fly and smells of honey? World's strangest indeed! I requested this book not knowing it was juvenile non-fiction and so glad I did. It really works just fine for an adult-kind of like reading a magazine article about the fight to save an animal I'd never heard of in a place I didn't know existed. An added bonus are the stunning photographs. Don't let prejudice against kids' books keep you from this one.
March 9, 2018
Sy Montgomery does it again! This time she's on an island in New Zealand, sanctuary to an endangered flightless parrot, the kakapo, the heaviest in the world. It once flourished all over New Zealand, but has been driven to the brink of extinction by the introduction of foreign predators and diseases. As with all her books, Sy's writing makes you feel as if you are there experiencing it all with her. Her opening paragraphs, in which she introduces the reader to this unusual and unique bird, suck you right in with her rich descriptions and touch of humor. Along their journey they also discover other birds and insects found only in New Zealand, animals I'd never heard of before but now would like to know more about. The award-winning Nic Bishop's photographs enhance the text. One thing I do wish the book had was a scratch-and-sniff patch, so that readers could smell the honey-and-peat scent of the kakapo's feathers!
I wish all school children, and adults too, could read this book. These birds, and many other animals like them, need not have been reduced to such a small population if people had been more aware of habitats and how invasive introduced species can be. I'm so glad Sy wrote this book. I hope it will inspire more people take part in rescuing other endangered species. It certainly deserved winning the Sibert Medal for informational books in 2011. Highly, highly recommended!!
I wish all school children, and adults too, could read this book. These birds, and many other animals like them, need not have been reduced to such a small population if people had been more aware of habitats and how invasive introduced species can be. I'm so glad Sy wrote this book. I hope it will inspire more people take part in rescuing other endangered species. It certainly deserved winning the Sibert Medal for informational books in 2011. Highly, highly recommended!!
September 18, 2010
When I picked up this book, I was thinking to myself, oh, another solid entry in the Scientists in the Field series, though I also thought... wow, this is a pretty substantial book, weight-wise. I tried to dislike it, tried thinking, who cares enough about this poor flightless parrot only surviving on a remote island off New Zealand to want to read a whole book on it? Well, as it turned out, that person was ME! And hopefully a lot of others, too. Nic Bishop's photos are, as always, excellent. But what I found most successful were the multiple avenues of exploring the birds; the scientists and volunteers who are trying to save this species; the animals who have driven the parrot to near-extinction, and the technology being used to help save the birds. A great book exploring the countless aspects that are required when trying to save an animal from extinction.
May 16, 2011
Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World's Strangest Parrot
What a beautiful book. This is a non-fiction account of the efforts to save the Kakapo parrot in New Zealand from extinction. The photography is stunning, the story is sad, the efforts to save the parrot are so valiant and the writing is engaging. I learned that the natural history of New Zealand is utterly fantastic — and has almost disappeared. When this book was written, there were only 87 Kakapo parrots in the entire world. Tonight, according to the web site, there are 120.
You can learn more at http://kakaporecovery.org.nz/.
But read the book. Read it outloud to your children and classrooms.
What a beautiful book. This is a non-fiction account of the efforts to save the Kakapo parrot in New Zealand from extinction. The photography is stunning, the story is sad, the efforts to save the parrot are so valiant and the writing is engaging. I learned that the natural history of New Zealand is utterly fantastic — and has almost disappeared. When this book was written, there were only 87 Kakapo parrots in the entire world. Tonight, according to the web site, there are 120.
You can learn more at http://kakaporecovery.org.nz/.
But read the book. Read it outloud to your children and classrooms.
April 8, 2012
Kakapo parrots are the rarest in the world--fewer than 100 survive, on a tiny island off New Zealand. They are flightless, nocturnal, heavy, and smell like honey. This is an account of the kakapo, and the people trying desperately to save them.
This book got stars on pretty much every review, and it deserves them. The topic is fascinating and compelling, the pictures are wonderful, and the book is well-structured and well-told. Narrative nonfiction for middle school is making a comeback, and I think this is part of the wonderful "Scientists in the Field" series, which has had so many starred-review books in the past few years. Well worth reading for anyone interested in birds, New Zealand, wildlife conservation, or just good science writing.
This book got stars on pretty much every review, and it deserves them. The topic is fascinating and compelling, the pictures are wonderful, and the book is well-structured and well-told. Narrative nonfiction for middle school is making a comeback, and I think this is part of the wonderful "Scientists in the Field" series, which has had so many starred-review books in the past few years. Well worth reading for anyone interested in birds, New Zealand, wildlife conservation, or just good science writing.
January 12, 2018
I thought it was a pretty good book. It was very interesting all the new technology they had. They put in a lot of work and it looks very hard to keep the Kakapo alive. Most of the team gets on a plane and another plane, just to get to Codfish Island. Once they get there they set up all of their equipment. They immediately start working. They monitor all of the nests on the island and go to each one of them, every time the mother leaves. They check the baby and make sure everything is going well. They thought the Kakapo was extinct but they found some and they were all females! Then on another island, they found a male and started breeding them. Now there are 124 birds. It seems like a really difficult challenge but they are making progress.
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June 21, 2012This book is covering an excursion to witness the events in the life of the kakapo which the book identifies as the Worlds Strangest Parrot. The excursion takes place in New Zealand. A team is working to restore the kakapo population. These parrots are trusting, flightless, and beautiful. They are the largest and most unusual parrots of earth. This book also shows some of New Zealands other unusual animals. This book won the "Robert F. Sibert Medal and Honor Book Award, 2011. Its content is appropriate for grades 3rd and up. The book is informative and full of discovery for enquiring minds.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 23, 2011
The Kakapo is a rare flightless bird from New Zealand. This is the story of the volunteers, rangers, and scientists fighting for its preservation as a species. The book is narrative non-fiction at its best and the photographs by Nic Bishop are divine. This book won the Robert F. Sibert award for juvenile non-fiction in 2011. This is a great book for anyone who likes stories about animals, animal behavior, and survival. Facts about what you can do to help preserve the Kakapo are in the back of the book, as well as information such as websites and a selected bibliography.
August 14, 2012
I think people who devote their lives researching, studying, rescuing, and just loving animals are fascinating. This book is about a team of people who are devoted to saving the critically endangered Kakapo Parrots who live on the remote Codfish Island off the southern coast of New Zealand. Only 91 parrots remain. The photographs are beautiful, and although there are plenty of nonfiction merits to the text, Sy Montgomery also captures the emotion and drama of the ups and downs of animal rescue.
June 22, 2012
This book could be read by a girl or boy who is in the grade 5 to 8. This book is about trying to save the kakapo parrots that are going extinct. By having fourteen people who share one hut and the passion to save these kakapo parrots to have them make a comeback in New Zealand.
This book has real live photos with bright color and pictures. There is also captions with the pictures as well.
Robert F. Sibert Medal and Honor Books 2011
This book has real live photos with bright color and pictures. There is also captions with the pictures as well.
Robert F. Sibert Medal and Honor Books 2011
Read
June 22, 2012I really liked this book. It was full of great facts about the rare species of Kakapo parrots that live in New Zealand. The pictures were really great, and made reading more interesting with the photographs to reference. The audience for this book would be for more advanced readers in the elelmentary or possibly middle school setting.
September 26, 2017
Fascinating look at an unusual flightless parrot that lives on only one small island near New Zealand, and which devoted volunteers are trying to rescue from extinction.
One can also see these cute parrots on several youtube videos with Stephen Fry.
One can also see these cute parrots on several youtube videos with Stephen Fry.
April 17, 2011
Very interesting species; fantastic photographs by Nic Bishop!
May 31, 2015
Audience: Intermediate grades, animal lovers
Appeal: Beautiful photographs, narrative format, helpful captions under pictures.
Award: 2011 Robert F. Sibert medal winner
Appeal: Beautiful photographs, narrative format, helpful captions under pictures.
Award: 2011 Robert F. Sibert medal winner
March 1, 2017
i finally know what love is. honestly this book was great, i had no idea what a kakapo even was and now i am incredibly invested and heartbroken
February 9, 2022
I will be doing more walking this month, so I've been on the lookout for audiobooks-- but honestly, I was looking for something yesterday so I could listen while vegging out with games on my phone and knitting, to feel like I wasn't "wasting" my time. (Rest is important, resting is valid!)
Although the narration references a few photos obviously not included in the audiobook, this stands fine on its own, although readers who haven't previously seen kakapo in documentaries may want to look for a few photos elsewhere, just as a reference.
Although this is a children's book, it has wide crossover appeal: the text is not oversimplified or dumbed down, and the author doesn't shy away from tough topics, including the deaths of several birds. These events are handled with genuine sorrow by the narrator.
A great read or listen for a family of naturalists and for bird fans of all ages.
Although the narration references a few photos obviously not included in the audiobook, this stands fine on its own, although readers who haven't previously seen kakapo in documentaries may want to look for a few photos elsewhere, just as a reference.
Although this is a children's book, it has wide crossover appeal: the text is not oversimplified or dumbed down, and the author doesn't shy away from tough topics, including the deaths of several birds. These events are handled with genuine sorrow by the narrator.
A great read or listen for a family of naturalists and for bird fans of all ages.
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