This photo was taken on the Beaufort Sea north of Barrow, Alaska, on March 27th, 2009.It was 35 below zero and the field biologists had just darted this 1000-lb male polar bear with enough sedative to keep it calm for an hour so they could measure, weigh, and take blood samples.Long-term monitoring of polar bears in Alaska will help scientists and managers know what to do as the ice and the seals that polar bears depend on disappear.The weight of this fella's head was like a cannon on my legs. It's so eerie to be this close to such a magnificent creature.His eyes were open and I could hear him breathe.A few hours later he was up and about, carrying on with his life, so supremely adapted to the stark and extreme conditions of the Arctic.



Skype Visit Length:

• 40-50 minutes (250.00)
  

In-Depth Visit Cost:

• See Skype page on author's website
• contact Peter at plourie@middlebury.edu

Prerequisites:

• Skype sessions work best if the kids have read my books beforehand.
  
• And best, too, when they are prepared well in advance.
  
• It would be ideal, too, if the kids had the opportunity to order my books. I use a company called Children's Authors' Ally who will take care of this for you. Just contact: Kerri McPhail (authors4kids@optonline.net)

Available times: TBD

• At home
• In the field

Contact Information: plourie@middlebury.edu

Books

John Burroughs List of Nature Books for Young Readers,Smithsonian Notable Books for Children 2009 Annual list of children's books,junior library guild selection

In yet another standout title in the Scientists in the Field series, author and photographer Lourie transports young readers to Barrow, Alaska, the northernmost town in the U.S., where scientist John Craighead George has studied bowhead whales for more than 30 years. Combining exemplary color photos and simple, vivid language, the chapters detail not only George’s day-to-day methodology but also his motivation: to explore “the mystery of the whales—all the things that remain unknown about the animal.” George conducts his research in tandem with local Iñupiaq whale hunters, and some of the book’s most engrossing passages show how crucial (and accurate) the hunters’ knowledge, passed down through thousands of years, is to George’s modern scientific inquiry. A chapter about George’s childhood in a nature-loving family (his mother is the children’s book author Jean Craighead George) and pictures of him playing electric guitar at an open-mike night in Barrow add personal dimensions, but what will draw young readers most are the rich descriptions of the Iñupiaq community, in which George has so thoroughly rooted himself, and the riveting images of the Arctic whale scientist at work on the ice, holding a giant bowhead eyeball or reaching into the immense, bloody cavern of a whale’s stomach. Maps, glossaries, and suggestions for further research round out this fascinating portrait of science and daily life at the “top of the world.”

— Gillian Engberg, Booklist


Gr 4–8—Lourie skillfully describes the delicate three-way relationship that exists among the Iñupiat of Alaska, the bowhead whales, and the scientists who are there to collect data and study the animals. The Iñupiat have hunted bowheads for thousands of years and their very existence depends upon the harvesting of the leviathans. The scientists are there to determine whether the whaling done by these communities is sustainable and not decimating the bowhead population. Using a day-in-the-life format, Lourie follows one particular scientist, John Craighead George, as he goes about collecting the necessary data. The biologist is careful not to disturb the integrity of the harvest and, in fact, works closely with the Iñupiat to do what he needs to do. Interwoven throughout this daylong saga are historical information, scientific facts, and cultural tradition. Crisp color photographs on every page provide a lush complement to the engaging, informative text. Young readers will come away with a stronger appreciation of the bowhead whales, the people who both hunt and respect them, and the scientists who straddle the traditional and modern worlds to gather important information. An excellent addition to any collection.
—Jody Kopple, Shady Hill School, Cambridge, MA