Non-Fiction Monday: Pale Male

Pale Male: Citizen Hawk of New York City written by Janet Schulman and illustrated by Meilo So is the wonderful, true story about an exceptional bird, presented in a book easy enough for children to read.

In 1991 a young red-tailed hawk was noticed in New York City, flying around the buildings and spending his nights in Central Park. Over the years, Pale Male, as he was delightfully named, takes a mate and together they build a nests high in the rooftop of an apartment building. Through citizen complaints, nest destruction, and un-hatched eggs, Pale Male and his mate continue to be one of the most popular attractions among the residents of the city, a pair that some residents will do anything to keep around.

Meilo So’s beautiful, bright watercolors accompany a rather remarkable tale and one that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. There is a section in the back with more information on Pale Male’s story and some additional facts that add to the story. To me, as a librarian, the best non-fiction books are those that both educate and entertain, a goal this book certainly reaches. It can be read aloud to children or used in a project for school. Though a native New Yorker, I’ve never actually been to NYC, though now I definitely want to make a trip, just to see the building these two birds inhabited for so long!