Jacqueline Briggs Martin fell in love with the story of the chiru.

Known for its ultra-fine wool, the Tibetan antelope had been so aggressively poached that it was in danger of extinction. The Chinese government would protect the chiru with a preserve, but only if someone could figure out where, exactly, the animals migrated to in the vast Tibetan wilderness. A small group of men decided to try. 

It was a story of endurance. Of bravery. Of fighting against the odds to help a single species survive.

“When I heard about this journey and these animals, I just wanted to tell the story,” said Martin, an award-winning children’s author.

This weekend, she will return to her hometown of Turner to read from her latest work, “The Chiru of High Tibet,” a picture book based on that journey to save the chiru.

“I had liked this example of bravery that doesn’t involve anyone being stronger or more aggressive or faster than anybody else,” she said. “It’s not competitive. It’s not physically aggressive. It’s just being brave for the purpose of keeping our world intact.”

Martin left Maine to attend college in Massachusetts. She wrote her first books after having children. She realized how much fun it was reading to her children and she wanted to write books children and adults could share, she said.

Martin has published more than a dozen books, including “Snowflake Bentley,” which won the 1999 Caldecott Medal. She now lives in Iowa.

With her newest book set to be released later this month, the Turner Public Library invited Martin to give a presentation. Although Martin has returned to Turner several times over the years, this will be the first time she has spoken at the library since shortly after “Snowflake Bentley” won the Caldecott award.

“It’s just an exciting time for everyone to have her come,” said Patricia Dickinson, a library trustee and Martin’s cousin.

Martin will speak at the Turner Public Library at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 17. She will talk about writing, discuss her trip to Tibet to research her latest book and read from “The Chiru of High Tibet.” She will also sign books. The event is free and open to the public.

ltice@sunjournal.com