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HOW DO BIRDS SING A DUET?

Name: HOW DO BIRDS SING A DUET?
Author: Clayton Grider
ISBN: 9781486725649

A BOOK ABOUT BIRD BEHAVIOR

From the How Do? series

by Clayton Grider ; illustrated by Srimalie Bassani ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 21, 2023

A solid starting point for learning about birds.

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A plethora of facts to whet bird-watchers’ appetites.

From defining a bird and investigating migration to exploring woodpeckers’ habits (and tongues!), the process of gliding, why geese fly in a V and birds sing, and how birds make their nests, this is a pretty wide-ranging look at bird behavior. The format is a mixture of cartoons, speech bubbles, sticky notes, and taped-in notes and diagrams that help break up the lengthier text in between and explain the trickier science such as thermals. The author’s tongue is firmly in cheek, asking, for instance, if woodpeckers use game cameras to find insects in a tree. The illustrations pick up on this, but many times the fictions in the pictures are not pointed out as such. For example, migrating birds are pictured with packed bags, and chaffinches, which use spiderwebs in their nest building, are shown offering their thanks to a spider. The pages aren’t always arranged according to specific topics, which can be confusing. A page featuring a large sticky note about waterbirds and seabirds includes info about owls and long-tailed tits (which aren’t even pictured). The humorous cartoons are sure to attract kids’ interest, though, and there are many amazing facts that kids can pull out to impress. Backmatter includes four profiles of national birds (U.S., India, New Zealand, and Nigeria) and thumbnails of 12 other nations’ national birds, all of which feature beautiful photos. Humans in the art are diverse.

A solid starting point for learning about birds. (make your own bird feeder) (Nonfiction. 5-10)

Pub Date: March 21, 2023

ISBN: 9781486725649

Page Count: 36

Publisher: Flowerpot Press

Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

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1001 BEES

by Joanna Rzezak ; illustrated by Joanna Rzezak ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 18, 2021

Friends of these pollinators will be best served elsewhere.

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This book is buzzing with trivia.

Follow a swarm of bees as they leave a beekeeper’s apiary in search of a new home. As the scout bees traverse the fields, readers are provided with a potpourri of facts and statements about bees. The information is scattered—much like the scout bees—and as a result, both the nominal plot and informational content are tissue-thin. There are some interesting facts throughout the book, but many pieces of trivia are too, well trivial, to prove useful. For example, as the bees travel, readers learn that “onion flowers are round and fluffy” and “fennel is a plant that is used in cooking.” Other facts are oversimplified and as a result are not accurate. For example, monofloral honey is defined as “made by bees who visit just one kind of flower” with no acknowledgment of the fact that bees may range widely, and swarm activity is described as a springtime event, when it can also occur in summer and early fall. The information in the book, such as species identification and measurement units, is directed toward British readers. The flat, thin-lined artwork does little to enhance the story, but an “I spy” game challenging readers to find a specific bee throughout is amusing.

Friends of these pollinators will be best served elsewhere. (Informational picture book. 8-10)

Pub Date: May 18, 2021

ISBN: 978-0-500-65265-7

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Thames & Hudson

Review Posted Online: April 13, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY | CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

- BOOK REVIEW
1001 BIRDS
by Joanna Rzezak ; illustrated by Joanna Rzezak

- BOOK REVIEW
1001 ANTS
by Joanna Rzezak ; illustrated by Joanna Rzezak

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WHAT IF YOU HAD AN ANIMAL HOME!?

From the What if You Had . . .? series

by Sandra Markle ; illustrated by Howard McWilliam ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 7, 2024

Another playful imagination-stretcher.

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Markle invites children to picture themselves living in the homes of 11 wild animals.

As in previous entries in the series, McWilliam’s illustrations of a diverse cast of young people fancifully imitating wild creatures are paired with close-up photos of each animal in a like natural setting. The left side of one spread includes a photo of a black bear nestling in a cozy winter den, while the right side features an image of a human one cuddled up with a bear. On another spread, opposite a photo of honeybees tending to newly hatched offspring, a human “larva” lounges at ease in a honeycomb cell, game controller in hand, as insect attendants dish up goodies. A child with an eye patch reclines on an orb weaver spider’s web, while another wearing a head scarf constructs a castle in a subterranean chamber with help from mound-building termites. Markle adds simple remarks about each type of den, nest, or burrow and basic facts about its typical residents, then closes with a reassuring reminder to readers that they don’t have to live as animals do, because they will “always live where people live.” A select gallery of traditional homes, from igloo and yurt to mudhif, follows a final view of the young cast waving from a variety of differently styled windows.

Another playful imagination-stretcher. (Informational picture book. 6-8)