To most Americans the name Audubon means birds, in their natural colors. Bird lovers check every bird they see against the pictures and notes of John James Audubon.
Yet 150 years ago, the friends of the young Frenchman had little hope of James winning success in anything. Such a charming daydreamer as he was, always watching birds and sketching them in the most minute detail! In despair, his father sent the boy off to America to manage a farm, little thinking the birds of Pennsylvania would be so numerous and distracting.
Debts and business failures piled up. Time after time Audubon moved onto a new business project. But in each location there were new birds to study!
Each of Audubon's pictures showed a life-size in it's natural color. So true to life was each portrayal that the bird almost seemed to breathe. He would draw such a record of every bird in America, the artist decided. And to that end, he drove himself day and night, walking hundreds o f miles through the woods to study some new warbler or its mate, Through it all his faithful wife Lucy stood by, patient and encouraging.
John James Audubon is the thrilling story of a man with a purpose, whose monumental work has brought delight to millions of people.
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