Caldecott Honor–winning team Steve Jenkins and Robin Page celebrate the astonishing diversity of bird species in this magnificently illustrated picture book.
They can dance, sing, and, of course, fly—what's not to love about birds?
With more than 10,000 species of dramatically different colors, shapes, and sizes, birds are some of the most fascinating creatures on the planet. The only animal with feathers, birds have soared through the skies for millions of years. In this beautiful picture book, learn what makes a bird a bird, what birds like to eat, and how these masters of the air have evolved.
Ever wonder which bird is the smallest? Or the fastest? Which can fly the highest? Or stay airborne longest? You'll find answers to these questions and countless others in The Bird Book.
Jenkins and Page present a stunning array of these amazing aviators and the extraordinary ways they survive this world, whether in the water, on land, or flying high above.---from the publisher
48 pages 978-0358325697 Ages 6-10
Keywords: birds, nonfiction, how things work, survival, biology, diversity, nature, wildlife, science, information, zoology, 6 year old, 7 year old, 8 year old, 9 year old, 10 year old, flight/flying
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When you see me fly away without you
Shadow on the things you know
Feathers fall around you
And show you the way to go”
– Neil Young, “Birds” (1970)
“He was a born naturalist, collector and experimenter. ‘Wherever we lived,’ he wrote on his website, ‘I maintained a small menagerie of lizards, turtles, spiders and other animals. I collected rocks and fossils. I built a chemistry lab in which many frightful smells and loud explosions were produced. With my father’s help, I assembled radios, electric motors and other contraptions. I also spent a lot of time with books.’
He thought he was headed for a career in science like his father’s. But at the last minute, he said, he pivoted to art school, earning undergraduate and master’s degrees from North Carolina State University’s School of Design. It was there that he met Ms. Page.”
– from the NY Times obituary, “Steve Jenkins, 69, Dies; His Children’s Books Brought Science to Life” (January 16, 2022)
“For me, making books represents the happy intersection of children, science, art, my design partnership with Robin, and my life-long love of reading.”
– from Steve Jenkins’ website
“Birds were soaring through the skies when dinosaurs ruled the land and mammals were small, rodent-like creatures. Perhaps the most surprising thing we’ve learned about birds is this: birds are dinosaurs–the only ones that survived when an asteroid hit the earth 66 million years ago.”
THE BIRD BOOK is a fitting exclamation point on the career of the late Steve Jenkins, the science professor’s son who has been celebrated for decades for his stunning cut paper collages illustrating a wonderful variety of nature-related nonfiction books for young readers. Jenkins’ books focus on the creatures that inhabit planet Earth, and on the planet itself.
Filled with fascinating facts about bird biology, natural history, habits, capabilities, and threats to the future of birds, THE BIRD BOOK is perfect for middle grade and tween readers. It will similarly captivate plenty of tweens, teens, and grown-ups.
Are birds really simple-minded, so-called bird brains? Certainly not all of them:
“Jungle crows in Japan have learned to use automobiles to crack nuts. They perch above a busy intersection and drop a nut onto the road. Soon, if they are lucky, a passing car will crush the nut’s hard shell.
But that’s not all the crows have learned. It would be dangerous to fly down to get the nut when traffic is zooming past. So the birds wait until the light turns red and the cars stop.”
– from the “Bird brains” spread
Each two-page spread focuses on a particular aspect of birds: “What is a bird?,” “Bird senses.” “Flight,” “Nests,” “Bird defenses,” and “Birds in danger” are examples of the many facets of birds that are examined here. Each spread begins with a paragraph explaining the subtopic. The remainder of each spread is filled with stunning cut-paper illustrations of birds, each one captioned to explain how it relates to the aspect being discussed.
Did you know that as many as one billion birds die each year as the result of colliding with glass buildings? Interesting, thought-provoking, beautiful, and of great educational value, THE BIRD BOOK certainly does bring science to life.
Recommended by: Richie Partington, MLIS, California USA
See more of Richie's Picks <https://richiespicks.com/> https://richiespicks.pbworks.co
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From the time a small feathered animal launched itself into the air 150 million years ago, the planet's skies have been populated with birds and now more than 10 000 species have evolved from that first archaeopteryx, being the only creatures of the dinosaur era to survive the impact of the asteroid that hit the earth 66 million years ago.
Using minimum text and many many illustrations of examples, the reader is taken on an exploration of the species that explains what a bird is, how the species evolved, and the features that have made them so successful including the power of flight, their senses, their adaptations to their habitats, migration and all the other facets of life that one would expect to discover. The only drawback that it may have for the younger reader is the small, hand0writing like font that may prove tricky for them to read without help. Overall, though, this is an intriguing and informative book that really provides an 'all-you-need-to-know' introduction to a creature that varies from the bee hummingbird that weighs less than a ping pong ball to the wandering albatross with its wingspan of over three metres to the ostrich which is the largest living bird on the planet these days, outstripped by the extinct giant moa, endemic to New Zealand.
Steve Jenkins has given young readers some fascinating insights into the animal world such as The Animal Toolkit and Animal Facts by the Numbers, and this is just as fascinating.
Recommended by: Barbara Braxton, Teacher Librarian, New South Wales AUSTRALIA
See more of her recommendations:
500 Hats http://500hats.edublogs.org/
The Bottom Shelf http://thebottomshelf.edublogs.org/
Storybook Cushions http:// bit.ly/storybook_cushions
