John James Audubon

Hello, I am John James Audubon. I was born on April 26th, 1785. When I was a little boy, I loved being outside more than anything. My favorite thing to do was watch the birds. I loved to see them fly high in the sky and listen to their happy songs. I would watch them build their little nests in the trees. I thought birds were so wonderful, and I wanted to draw them. I wanted to make pictures so I could show everyone how beautiful they were.

In the year 1803, I went on a very big adventure across America. I walked through big green forests and crossed shiny rivers. I traveled across wide, open fields, always looking for birds. I wanted to find every kind of bird I could. When I found a new bird, I would get out my paints. I painted each bird very carefully. I wanted my paintings to look just like the real birds, so I painted all of their colorful feathers, making them look soft and bright.

I put all of my paintings together into a giant book. In the year 1838, my book was finished. I called it 'The Birds of America.' I made this big book so that people everywhere could see all the amazing birds that I saw on my journey. I lived to be 65 years old, and I passed away in the year 1851. Today, people still look at my paintings to see the beauty of birds. My pictures help everyone remember how important it is to be kind to our animal friends.