Audubon (book)

Audubon
Title page for Audubon (1936)
AuthorConstance Rourke
IllustratorJames MacDonald
LanguageEnglish
GenreChildren's literature / Biography
PublisherHarcourt
Publication date
1936
Publication placeUnited States
Pages342

Audubon is a 1936 children's biography of John James Audubon written by Constance Rourke and illustrated by James MacDonald.[1][2]

Reception

The book earned a Newbery Honor in 1937, Rourke's second after the also-biographical Davy Crockett in 1935.[3] In their review, the New York Times said Rourke "succeeded somehow in looking at Audubon's life in somewhat the same way that Audubon looked at a bird".[4] Kirkus Reviews commended Rourke for her research, which "unearthed new material, and put the breath of life into old".[5] The Journal of Southern History was less flattering in their review, saying Rourke "contributed but little that is new to the knowledge of Audubon's life" and "softened or ignored his [Audubon] faults and failings."[6]

References

  1. ^ "Book Reviews, Sites, Romance, Fantasy, Fiction".
  2. ^ Gillespie, John T.; Naden, Corinne J., eds. (2006). The Newbery/Printz Companion: Book Talk and Related Materials (3rd ed.). Libraries Unlimited. ISBN 1-59158-313-6.
  3. ^ "Association for Library Service to Children - Newbery Medal Winners & Honor Books, 1922 – Present" (PDF). ALA.org. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
  4. ^ (Unknown) (November 1, 1936). "A Fine Biography of Audubon; Constance Rourke's Life Is Sympathetic". The New York Times. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  5. ^ "AUDUBON by Constance Rourke". Kirkus Reviews. October 1, 1936. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  6. ^ Norton, Leslie M. (August 1937). "Review of Audubon by Constance Rourke". The Journal of Southern History. 3 (3). Southern Historical Association: 368–370. Retrieved December 18, 2025.