by Susan Stockdale Book list This picture book celebrates the diversity of birds by presenting their varied physical features and behaviors. Appearing on each page or double-page spread is a word or phrase and an illustration featuring a single species, usually engaged in some activity. Over several page turns, the phrases combine to form rhythmic, rhyming verses, such as Skimming birds, / swimming birds, / birds with tails held high. / Racing birds, / riding birds, / birds that never fly, illustrated with pictures of black skimmers, Adelie penguins, a peacock, a roadrunner, red-billed oxpeckers, and ostriches. Created with clean lines and simple compositions, the acrylic paintings create images of birds that are easy for even young children to discern and, perhaps, recognize again. The last three pages feature a source bibliography and a smaller version of each picture, accompanied by a caption identifying the featured species and offering a bit of information about the bird, including its location. A fresh look at birds: familiar, strange, and wonderful.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2010 Booklist From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission. School Library Journal PreS-Gr 2-Birds of a feather come in many guises and behave in myriad ways. This cheerful survey introduces 21 species from varied parts of the world in spare, rhyming text and attractive acrylic paintings. The birds swoop, whoop, dance, and dive. They have puffy chests, fluffy crests, and other fine features. Picture placement follows the nice rhythm of the text with each two sets of facing framed paintings followed by a double-page view for each of the longer phrases of verse. Simple, flat stylized settings-only a narrow swath of pale blue highlights the ptarmigan group nestled between snowy hills and white sky-showcase the lively, colorful birds, providing an inviting introduction to this hugely varied animal family. Their actual names are given only in the concluding picture glossary, which offers just a sentence or two about some significant feature or behavior of each bird and tells the world area(s) in which it lives. The closing poetic phrase states the common features of all the birds-"All of them have feathers,/and all are hatched from eggs." Carefully crafted in charm and simplicity, the book offers many possibilities for use and enjoyment in reading aloud, browsing, and teaching. The pictures invite a lingering look, easily stimulating observation and discussion.-Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. |
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