Last of the Curlews

Fred Bodsworth was a naturalist, journalist, and novelist. He was born in Port Burwell, Ontario, Canada. In the beginning of his career, Bodsworth worked on tugboats and in tobacco fields. He became a reporter for the St. Thomas Times-Journal in 1940 and later was the editor of the Toronto Star and a staff writer for Maclean's.

In 1955, Bodsworth left Maclean's and concentrated on magazine writing, nature writing, and novels. He also conducted a number of worldwide ornithology tours and contributed to several anthologies. Bodsworth served as president of the Federation of Ontario Naturalists from 1964 to 1967.

Bodsworth published Last of the Curlews in 1954. It has been translated into more than a dozen languages. It was made into a one-hour animated movie for television and became the first ABC Afterschool Special in 1972. The film won an Emmy for children's broadcasting and the Golden Eagle Award from the Council on International Nontheatrical Events. Bodsworth received the Matt Cohen Prize in 2002 for his writing. He died on September 15, 2012.

030