A Perfect Day for an Albatross

First in a new Cornell Lab Publishing Group children's series that focuses on a fascinating bird species, this story uses native folk art and authentic style, evoking the culture and habitats where the bird lives.

A Perfect Day for an Albatross, by Caren Loebel-Fried, an award-winning author and artist from Hawai'i, sweeps you into an albatross's world of wind, rolling seas, boisterous dancing, and their intense commitment to one another and their nestlings.

Set on Midway Atoll, where 72 percent of the world's Laysan Albatrosses make their nests, M?lie, an albatross, must protect her egg until her mate returns. Join M?lie as she dances, hunts, and soars over the ocean swells. Block print art with flowing watercolors makes this title a glorious treat for the eyes, as well as the heart.

The art in this book is made with hand-colored block prints. The technique is similar to Hawaiian 'ohe k?pala. In ancient times, women carved patterns into strips cut from the inside bark of bamboo plants. Then bamboo 'stamps' were dipped into natural dyes and pressed onto bark cloth in repeating patterns. The prints in this book are made from rubber block prints, printed with black ink, and then painted with washes of colored inks.