The Last Egret (The Adventures of Charlie Pierce)

Imagine you are facing foreclosure. You could save your house by selling some land to a developer, but that land is one of the last breeding locations of a declining bird species. What would you do? Such a question is at the heart of The Last Egret, a children’s adventure story set in the wilds of southern Florida in the late 1800’s.

Charlie Pierce is a young teenager living with his family near what is today Palm Beach. But this was a very different place back then. It was still very much a wilderness in which the Pierce family was among the first white people to settle. But their life there is threatened when Charlie overhears his parents discussing the possibility of losing their property to the bank.

Shortly thereafter, a bird plume hunter stops by their house. The hunter is heading north after a successful expedition further south. He tells Charlie that it is fashionable for ladies to wear hats decorated with bird feathers, especially those of the herons, egrets, and other colonial birds of Florida. The high demand makes these feathers worth a fortune. The hunter even boasts of finding a roost of Snowy Egrets, whose feathers were the most desired, and thus most valuable, of all.

After the man leaves, Charlie devises a plan to save his family. He would find and shoot the Snowy Egrets and return with enough feathers to ensure that his family would be set for life. Knowing that his father would never agree to it, Charlie enlists the aid of several friends. They sneak off in the family boat and head south, to the heart of the Everglades, where Charlie is sure they will find the egrets.

They definitely find adventure. There are encounters with panthers, sharks, Seminoles, and a wilderness on a level unimaginable today. Yet while slogging through swamps where few, or maybe none, have ever been before, Charlie is forced to acknowledge the impact man has made even here. In the end, he has to decide if his goal, even if it is driven by concern for his family rather than profit, is worth the cost.

There are a few black-and-white drawings scattered throughout the book, but this is definitely a text-based story. Additionally, a color map of Florida at the time graces the inside of the front cover. This is a most welcome inclusion, allowing the reader to visually follow along with Charlie.

According to the book’s website, The Last Egret is appropriate for children age seven and up. That seems about right. The vocabulary seems like it could be a little challenging, especially to those on the younger end of the range, but I appreciate how it was not “written-down” to kids. The story is engrossing and very fun; any child should enjoy it. And not just them, I was surprised to enjoy it a good bit myself.

But I think the best thing about the story is how it introduces the idea of conservation. Thankfully, it’s not done in a heavy-handed, overbearing manner, but rather builds up to the conclusion that each person needs to be aware that natural resources are not infinite and that we must do what we can to ensure they don’t vanish. This is an incredibly important thing to teach our children.

Recommendation

The Last Egret is a wonderful story for children – full of adventure, educational, and an introduction to the important subject of conservation. I look forward to sharing it with my daughter when she’s old enough.

The Last Egret is the second in a series of books based on the life of Charlie Pierce, who was actually a real person. You can find out more about him, the books, and even download teaching activities and tools at the series’ website – The Adventures of Charlie Pierce.