Exemplary writing and gorgeous illustrations distinguish an informational picture book about the bar-tailed godwit, whose amazing migratory flight is first undertaken when it's four months old. Sandra Markle describes one young female that hatches in June in Alaska. Over the next two months she learns to hunt for food, hide from predators, and, eventually, to fly. By the end of September, almost all the adult godwits have left, but the young birds are eating as much as they can to prepare for the journey ahead. In October, they leave. "Although not one young bird has made this flight before, together they know the route to take." They fly for eight days nonstop before finally arriving on the coast of New Zealand, where their annual arrival is celebrated by the human population. Markle's finely crafted narrative, set against Mia Posada's graceful and dramatic collage illustrations, elicits a strong emotional response without ever anthropomorphizing her subject. (Ages 5-8)

Crackle! Crackle! Crunch! What's hatching from that egg? It's a young bar-tailed godwit. She will spend the summer in Alaska learning to fly, find her own food, and escape from scary predators. Her long, long journey begins in October when she flies to New Zealand. This 7,000-mile flight is the longest nonstop bird migration ever recorded. Follow along on her amazing voyage!