The Eagles Are Back

The distinctive cry of an eagle greets young listeners, followed by narrator Wendell Minor's voice detailing the decline in the U.S. bald eagle population in the period of extensive use of the pesticide DDT. As eagles and other wildlife were placed on the Endangered Species list, scientists were desperate to save the national bird. This story of a boy and a ranger who encourage an eagle pair to adopt and nurture an eagle egg is heartwarming. Minor's warm, conversational manner provides a "you-are-there" experience as the ranger explains the project's urgency, as the female shakes out her feathers to brood the egg, as the eaglet wobbles along, as the boy catches fish for food. Listeners will be surprised when the identity of the storyteller is revealed. Minor's panoramas and close-up illustrations add depth to the story. A.R. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine

February 4, 2013
In this inspiring companion to The Wolves Are Back and The Buffalo Are Back, Minor and the late George complete a trio of “environmental success stories that show us it is possible to preserve nature for future generations,” as Minor puts it in his acknowledgments. The book retains the economical prose of its predecessors, though a pair of central human characters—a boy and a park ranger who share a passion for endangered bald eagles—give this story an added intimacy for readers. The bald eagle’s numbers had dropped from half a million when the Founding Fathers named it the national bird to less than 1,000, due in large part to the use of the pesticide DDT. The ranger and boy attempt to get a pair of bald eagles, named Uncle Sam and First Lady, to adopt an egg that has been brought in from Alaska after the birds’ own eggs were destroyed. Minor’s gouache and watercolor are characteristically majestic—from the eagles’ delicate feathers and thatched nests to the cloudy blue skies and bright forests around them, every spread is thick with texture and detail. Ages 6–8. (Mar.)■