quest for the tree kangaroo text by sy montgomery and photographs by nic bishop

Montgomery, Sy. Quest for the Tree Kangaroo: An Expedition to the Cloud Forest of New Guinea, Photographs by Nic Bishop. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006. ISBN: 9780547248929

Plot Summary:

     Lisa Debek, a scientist, embarks on a journey to the forest of Papua New Guinea in search of the tree kangaroo with the help of a veterinarian, medical doctor, graduate student, two field scientists, an artist, a photographer, and an author. As they search for the tree kangaroo, they come across a plethora of plants, animals, villagers, and other exciting encounters on the island of New Guinea. Through each encounter, they are one step closer to finding the tree kangaroo and learning more about the conservation of their habitat and this species. 

     

Critical Analysis:

     Quest for the Tree Kangaroo is an informational book that utilizes the fundamentals of nonfiction. The author, Sy Montgomery, plays an important role in the accuracy of this informational book whose credentials include a background as a naturalist, documentary scriptwriter, and radio commentator that was present for this quest. Not only does she possess these impressive credentials, but she also was awarded with three Honorary Doctorates of Humane Letters from three different universities. Her insight, experience, and credentials assist is strengthening the accuracy of the information provided within this nonfictional title. The photographer, Nic Bishop, also strengthens this title by his acquisition of a doctorate in the biological sciences, which directly correlates to the quest and content matter of this book. 

     Sy Montgomery delivers her content in a manner that is easy to follow as she details her exploration from beginning to end. On every page, the author and photographer provide readers with an array of beautiful photographs that correlate with the informational content. Not only does this artful appearance captivate the attention of readers, but it displays a cohesive collaboration between the author and photographer. Both, Sy Montgomery and Nic Bishop, incorporate their unique styles that captivate readers to continue to delve in this work of nonfiction. Their delivery encompasses a story line that follows a journey into an island full of life, plants, and animals indigenous to the island of New Guinea. 

Awards Won:

NCTE Orbis Pictus Award (2007), Robert F. Sibert Award (2007), American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Henry Bergh Children's Book Award (2006), Julia Ward Howe Finalist Award (2007)

Review Excerpts:

"The writer and photographer of this exemplary description of science field work accompanied researcher Lisa Dabek on an expedition high in New Guinea's mountains to study tree kangaroos and promote the conservation of this elusive and endangered species. With early references to Dr. Seuss and hobbits, Montgomery connects the world of the young reader to this beautiful, distant place. She paces her narrative well, alternating focus on people and place, keeping the reader engaged and concerned about the expedition's success. As in other books in the series, she describes how local schoolchildren are involved. Her detailed account highlights scientific work habits, including extensive planning, necessary patience, careful observations and recording and the contiunal questions that arise. One unfortunately flipped picture notwithstanding, Bishop's photographs, shots of the expedition members, strinking close-ups of flora and fauna including the sought-for kangaroo and lush, green cloud forest scenes, are beautifully reproduced. From the maps in front to the concluding suggestions for young enthusiasts, information about the language, and index, this is another commendable title from an experienced team." - Publishers Weekly

"Another beautifully illustrated entry in the Scientists in the field series... Montgomery gives a chronological, sometimes moment-by-moment account of the challenging climb into the remote cloud forest...[giving] an unusually strong, visceral sense of the work and cooperation fieldwork entails and the scope and uniqueness of theis particular mission...As usual, Bishop's color photographs are exemplary and extend the excitement in close-ups of creatures and of the team at work." - Booklist

Connections:

Customers who purchased this title also bought the following nonfiction titles: Horses, Oh Rats!, and The Snake Scientist. 

Interactivity:

• Before reading the book to children, have them draw and describe what they think a tree kangaroo is.
• Show children where New Guinea is on a map.
• At the end of the book, there are some words from the dialect of Tok Pisin; go through these words and phrases with children.