THE BOY WHO DREW BIRDS: A Story of John James Audubon

 I've been a lover, observer, and advocate of birds for as long as I can recall. I've always loved and appreciated the beauty and grace of their bodies, movements, and songs, assuming (wrongly) that they were part of everyone's lives and always would be. I've mentioned this in prior posts, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE. (Okay, there are more, but I've been doing this for a long time. Just type BIRDS in the search bar in the right menu and you'll find them.)

That's why Audubon has been a source of ambivalence for me. He's the John James Audubon who's the subject of this new picture book, and also the fellow whose art and field guides are iconic references for beginners through experts. His art is beyond critique from scientists and casual birders alike. His observational accuracy is consistent from depicting the creatures themselves to the extensive details he observed, recorded, and reported involving behavior, habitats, songs, nesting/eggs, and global patterns of migration. Plusses, every one of them.

But I learned early that he blended his truly "natural" observations in the wild with vast amounts of "specimen collection", then preserving and mounting creatures, posing them in the actions and settings he had observed earlier. This approach did, in fact, provide previously unavailable information to the broader public, inspiring hobbies of interest and scientific study. Even so, I was appalled about the deaths his study had caused. It was not until recent years that I also became aware of his lifelong slaveholding practices, which were conveniently never mentioned or assumed. Now, even official organizations are renaming their identities, not to erase him or deny his contributions but to honor the study and conservation of birds, including his role in the process, without retaining his name in their titles.

Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004

THE BOY WHO DREW BIRDS: A Story of John James Audubon is written by Jacqueline Davies and illustrated Melissa Sweet. This is not a new book, and it garnered awards and "best of" designations in many categories. That's not unusual for books by either of its creators, but this one certainly merits our attention even a few decades later.  A combination of factors called it to mind to share now: my new residence/office space allows me to observe my feeder space many more hours of the day, Audubon's public status continues to shift, and undeniable changes in climate are affecting patterns for bird migration and survival. This last factor means some of what Audubon recorded will, or already has, changed and newer resources are the most reliable.There are ever-growing numbers of hobby-birders of all ages and backgrounds relying on Audubon resources for their study. They remain reliable starting points. 

The straightforward but eloquent text reveals that young Audubon was raised in England by a bird/nature-loving father. In early adulthood, still called a boy, he was sent to live in America. He was obviously from a family of means, allowed to live without working by that benefit and the labor of enslaved people. That was not mentioned in the text, published in 2004. John James Audubon disdained school but immersed himself in nature, noticing, collecting, and sketching everything in his new environment. The text follows him  through those early years in which he developed his art and observational skills. His questions, field study, patience, and gentle experiments helped to answer centuries-old debates about patterns of migration and "wintering" of the millions of small birds on both continents. His simple experiment with banding baby phoebes (then known as peewees) provided irrefutable answers.

The illustrations are equally researched and rendered in a mix of collage simulation, sketches and painting. The assemblages are also informative in the relationships and labeling among objects included. The results on the page expand the informational content and also bring to life the thoroughness and depth of commitment of this man who grew to be the ultimate resource for everything involving birds. His status in that regard is solid, and remains breathtaking in many cases. The same can be said for the details of content of text and images. Author and illustrator notes are also helpful. It is a picture book that merits many close looks and rereads, and a fine example of alerting older readers to ways in which content changes over time by referencing the publication date and current concerns. It's an awareness that should be shared with young readers regarding nonfiction content and also publication dates in every subject area.

My own ambivalence about the man is unchanged, but I appreciate his obsession with nature, and birds in particular. His guides remain near my window and are a welcome gift to new birders. This picture book could be the start of a lifelong interest for young ones interested in art, nature, and especially birds!