Swinburne, Stephen R. 1952-

Personal

Born November 8, 1952, in London, England; son of William Walter and Lillian Swinburne; married May 19, 1984; wife's name Heather; children: Hayley, Devon. Education: Castleton State College, B.A. Hobbies and other interests: Gardening, bird watching, canoeing.

Addresses

Home and office—P.O. Box 2005, Main St., South Londonderry, VT 05155. E-mail—swinny@sover.net.

Career

Writer, photographer, and naturalist. Has also worked as a park ranger for National Park Service.

Member

Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, Children's Book Insider.

Writings

AND PHOTOGRAPHER, UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED

Guide to Cumberland Island National Seashore, illustrated by Casey French Alexander, Eastern Acorn Press (New York, NY), 1984.

Swallows in the Birdhouse, illustrated by Robin Brickman, Millbrook Press (Brookfield, CT), 1996.

Water for One, Water for Everyone: A Counting Book of African Animals, illustrated by Melinda Levine, Millbrook Press (Brookfield, CT), 1998.

Moon in Bear's Eyes, illustrated by Crista Forest, Millbrook Press (Brookfield, CT), 1998.

Lots and Lots of Zebra Stripes: Patterns in Nature, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 1998.

In Good Hands: Behind the Scenes at a Center for Orphaned and Injured Birds, Sierra Club Books for Children (San Francisco, CA), 1998.

Coyote: North America's Dog, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 1999.

Safe, Warm, and Snug (poems), illustrated by José Aruego and Ariane Dewey, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1999.

Once a Wolf: How Wildlife Biologists Fought to Bring Back the Gray Wolf ("Scientists in the Field" series), photographs by Jim Brandenburg, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1999.

Guess Whose Shadow?, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 1999.

Unbeatable Beaks (poems), illustrated by Joan Paley, Henry Holt (New York, NY), 1999.

What's Opposite?, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 2000.

What's a Pair? What's a Dozen?, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 2001.

Bobcat: North America's Cat, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 2001.

Boxing Rabbits, Bellowing Alligators, and Other Animal Showoffs, Millbrook Press (Brookfield, CT), 2002.

Go, Go, Go!: Kids on the Move, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 2002.

What Color Is Nature?, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 2002.

The Woods Scientist ("Scientists in the Field" series), photographs by Susan C. Moore, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 2003.

Black Bear: North America's Bear, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 2003.

Turtle Tide: The Way of Sea Turtles, illustrated by Bruce Hiscock, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 2005.

Saving Manatees, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 2006.

Wings of Light: The Migration of the Yellow Butterfly, illustrated by Bruce Hiscock, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 2006.

Sidelights

Writer, photographer, and naturalist Stephen R. Swinburne shares his love of nature in his many books for children. The adventures to be experienced within the pages of his books include stalking elusive bobcats through their range in North America, learning about the innovative ways animals protect their offspring, watching a field biologist studying animals in the wild, and witnessing a lumbering sea turtle's laborious journey to land and her efforts to battle predators in order to hatch at least one of her hundred eggs. Swinburne's books often feature his imaginative photographs, which are geared to help very young children visualize concepts such as "a pair," "a dozen," "shadows," and "opposites." In a Booklist review of Swinburne's The Woods Scientist, Gillian Engberg described his writing as "immediate, clear, and filled with moment-by-moment observations," and Margaret Bush wrote in her School Library Journal review that Swinburne's books "offer many invitations for personal involvement in studying wildlife."

Swallows in the Birdhouse, one of Swinburne's early picture books, finds a brother and sister building a birdhouse. Through the text, readers then explore what happens when a pair of tree swallows finds the birdhouse, builds a nest, and successfully hatches a brood of chicks. At the end of the book, the swallows amass in great numbers for a communal flight. In Booklist, Lauren Peterson commended Swallows in the Birdhouse for its "lovely descriptive language" and for including helpful facts on swallow biology and birdhouse building.

In his nonfiction works, Swinburne's focus is primarily on those creatures native to North America, and in Moon in Bear's Eyes and Black Bear: North America's Bear he introduces readers to the grizzly bear common to the American West and the more-common black bear respectively. April Judge wrote in Booklist that Moon in Bear's Eyes "reads like an adventure story" in its focus on a family of grizzlies while also covering the essential biology and ecology of the species. Black Bear introduces a species that is finding its way into suburban backyards as its numbers increase and the Eastern forests return. While presenting an overview of the species and teaching readers to spot bear signs, Swinburne also "counters some common misconceptions" and shares "his own brief encounters with black bears," according to Booklist critic John Peters. In School Library Journal, Nancy Call praised the author's color photographs and "lively text," adding that Black Bear provides readers with an "intriguing introduction to these fascinating animals.

In the course of his travels Swinburne frequently works alongside wildlife biologists, both professional and amateur. In In Good Hands: Behind the Scenes at a Center for Orphaned and Injured Birds he introduces sixteen-year-old Hannah, a volunteer who is nursing an injured baby owl until it can be released into the wild. Sally Margolis, reviewing the book for School Library Journal, cited the "immediacy" imparted by Hannah's personal interactions with the owl and with human visitors to the shelter. In Booklist, Kathleen Squires wrote that the "bittersweet" ending "will tug on the heartstrings."

Swinburne has contributed several books to Houghton Mifflin's respected "Scientists in the Field" series, which is geared for older readers. In The Woods Scientist, he profiles the work of Susan C. Morse, a fourth-generation wildlife biologist and forester who lives and works in Vermont. Illustrated with Morse's own photographs, the book focuses on the many creatures that make their home in the boreal forests of the New England region: bears, deer, bobcats, raccoons, foxes, deer, among many others. In his narrative, Swinburne "brings young readers close to the excitement of scientific discovery," according to Engberg in Booklist.

Also part of the "Scientist in the Field" series, Once a Wolf: How Wildlife Biologists Fought to Bring Back the Gray Wolf pairs Swinburne's text with photographs by noted nature photographer Jim Brandenburg. Donna Beales, writing in Booklist, declared that the work "packs a lot of information" about a species that has been reviled by the farmers and ranchers invading its habitat while also demonstrating a keen intelligence. Once a Wolf focuses in particular on the efforts to reintroduce gray wolves to Yellowstone National Park and its environs, despite the objections of neighboring farmers and ranchers. Swinburne presents both sides of the controversy: the wolves' crucial role in the region's ecology as well as the economic impact of this predator on area ranches. A Horn Book critic deemed Once a Wolf "bracingly journalistic," and Ruth S. Vose in School Library Journal praised "the excitement of science in action" to be found in its pages.

Bears, coyotes, and bobcats are among the illusive large predators prowling the North America wilderness. In Bobcat: North America's Cat, Swinburne goes in search of the beautiful predator, accompanied by professional trackers as well as by a class of curious sixth graders. Interspersing the account of this trek, he shares with readers information regarding the bobcat's survival skills and its passion for privacy. In School Library Journal, Margaret Bush wrote that Swinburne's personal anecdotes "lend an inviting immediacy" to the narrative. Booklist contributor Ilene Cooper predicted that Bobcat will encourage readers to contemplate "the relationship between animals and their prey." Swinburne takes a similar approach in Saving Manatees, as he joins a class of fourth graders on a ranger-guided visit to a Florida wildlife refuge known for its giant manatee population. The author's "enthusiastic descriptions of his experiences with the animals are contagious and will draw children right into the subject," predicted Engberg of the large-format work.

Realizing the opportunities Nature provides for teaching useful concepts, Swinburne has created several well-received picture books that feature his original full-color photographs. Lots and Lots of Zebra Stripes: Patterns in Nature uses living examples to teach preschoolers about pattern, while the questions he poses in What's Opposite?, What's a Pair? What's a Dozen?, and What Color Is Nature? are answered in vivid images of objects that young children will recognize, even if they have never seen them so vividly presented. Lauren Peterson, writing in Booklist, called Lots and Lots of Zebra Stripes a "gorgeous photo-essay," and Booklist correspondent Carolyn Phelan dubbed What's Opposite? a "handsome book of photographs." In School Library Journal Kristina Aaronson described What's a Pair? What's a Dozen? as a good introduction to mathematical concepts, as well as a "well-designed picture book" featuring "clear, engaging photographs." WhatColor Is Nature? drew additional praise from Phelan, the critic describing Swinburne's "jewel-bright photos" as "clear and well composed."

Featuring a theme designed to appeal to younger children, Swinburne's Safe, Warm, and Snug uses rhyming verses to offer glimpses into the many ways that animals protect their babies. From toads to penguins to marsupials, the book covers some of the most bizarre parental behavior on the planet. In her School Library Journal review of the work, Marian Drabkin called Safe, Warm, and Snug "a celebration of the animal world" that offers the added attraction of giving children "reassurance that parents are protectors."

The natural world is not always a kind world, and Swinburne illustrates this fact in several of his books for slightly older children. Turtle Tide: The Ways of Sea Turtles is one of several collaborations between Swinburne and watercolor artist Bruce Hiscock. In this picture book, author and illustrator follow a large Loggerhead turtle as she clambers from the Atlantic Ocean onto a sandy beach and digs the nest in which she lays the many eggs that, after her departure, will be vulnerable to gulls, raccoons, crabs, and sand sharks as they mature. Noting that the sea turtle is one of the oldest creatures on Earth, Bush wrote in Horn Book that the "spare prose and fine paintings" in Turtle Tide reveal the drama of Nature, as "animal encounters … reduce the eggs and hatchlings to one lone survivor."

Praised by Phelan as "a well-written and beautifully illustrated picture book," Wings of Light: The Migration of the Yellow Butterfly again pair the talents of Swinburne and Hiscock, this time as they follow a flock of cloudless sulfur butterflies on its daunting one-way migration from Mexico's Yucatan rain forest north along the east coast of North America to its destination in northern New England. Noting the book's ability to inspire, a Kirkus Reviews writer commented of Wings ofLight that "young readers will come away with a sense of wonder and admiration for the frail creature's remarkable flight."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, June 1, 1996, Lauren Peterson, review of Swallows in the Birdhouse, p. 1729; May 1, 1998, April Judge, review of Moon in Bear's Eyes, p. 1520; July, 1998, Kathleen Squires, review of In Good Hands: Behind the Scenes at a Center for Orphaned and Injured Birds, p. 1880; September 15, 1998, Lauren Peterson, review of Lots and Lots of Zebra Stripes: Patterns in Nature, p. 233; March 1, 1999, Stephanie Zvirin, review of Once a Wolf: How Wildlife Biologists Fought to Bring Back the Gray Wolf, p. 1211; June 1, 1999, Kay Weisman, review of Safe, Warm, and Snug, p. 1835; October 15, 1999, Donna Beales, review of Coyote: North America's Dog, p. 440; March 15, 2000, Shelle Rosenfeld, review of What's a Pair? What's a Dozen?, p. 1384; September 1, 2000, Carolyn Phelan, review of What's Opposite?, p. 120; April 1, 2001, Ilene Cooper, review of Bobcat: North America's Cat, p. 1468; June 1, 2002, Carolyn Phelan, review of What Color Is Nature?, p. 1732; March 15, 2003, Gillian Engberg, review of The Woods Scientist, p. 1326; January 1, 2004, John Peters, review of Black Bear: North America's Bear, p. 851; April 1, 2005, John Peters, review of Turtle Tide: The Ways of Sea Turtles, p. 1362; April 1, 2006, Carolyn Phelan, review of Wings of Light: The Migration of the Yellow Butterfly, p. 46; September 1, 2006, Gillian Engberg, review of Saving Manatees, p. 123.

Horn Book, July, 1999, review of Once a Wolf, p. 487; May-June, 2005, Margaret A. Bush, review of Turtle Tide, p. 351.

Kirkus Reviews, September 1, 2003, review of North America's Bear, p. 1131; March 15, 2005, review of Turtle Tide, p. 358; April 1, 2006, review of Wings of Light, p. 358; September 15, 2006, review of Saving Manatees, p. 969.

Publishers Weekly, May 3, 1999, review of Safe, Warm, and Snug, p. 75; April 8, 2002, review of Safe, Warm, and Snug, p. 230.

School Library Journal, June, 1996, Helen Rosenberg, review of Swallows in the Birdhouse, p. 118; August, 1998, Ruth S. Vose, review of In Good Hands, p. 184; January, 1999, Arwen Marshall, review of Lots and Lots of Zebra Stripes, p. 122; May, 1999, Ruth S. Vose, review of Once a Wolf, p. 140; June, 1999, Marian Drabkin, review of Safe, Warm, and Snug, p. 122; April, 2000, Kristina Aaronson, review of What's a Pair? What's a Dozen?, p. 126; October, 2000, Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, review of What's Opposite?, p. 154; August, 2001, Margaret Bush, review of Bobcat, p. 205; April, 2003, Margaret Bush, review of The Woods Scientist, p. 193; August, 2003, Kathy Piehl, review of Once a Wolf, p. 117; November, 2003, Nancy Call, review of Black Bear, p. 132; September, 2004, Janet Dawson Hamilton, review of What's a Pair? What's a Dozen?, p. 59; March, 2005, Patricia Manning, review of Turtle Tide, p. 204; May, 2006, Margaret Bush, review of Wings of Light, p. 118; November, 2006, Christine Markley, review of Saving Manatees, p. 165.

ONLINE

Stephen R. Swinburne Home Page,http://www.steveswinburne.com (March 3, 2008).