BILLY LOVES BIRDS

A child spends the day outside observing nesting, fledging, and feeding birds.

Billy is an avid bird-watcher and shows readers some tricks, including attracting birds with various feeders to closely observe them, watching nest cameras on the internet, using binoculars to get a closer view, and visiting nest boxes. Pages from Billy’s sketchbook show readers various nests and beaks, and Billy uses books as references when looking for information. Billy’s friends each have their own interests (Bella—bugs, Ava—animals, Pedro—the environment), but they share their friend’s enthusiasm and are good listeners, and all demonstrate solid science skills, constantly wondering and asking questions about what they observe and keeping safety tips in mind. Billy’s enthusiasm is contagious, and this book will be a good starting point for bird-watching beginners, though they may need other resources to fill gaps. For instance, only a few of the species pictured are identified; Billy provides facts about beaks, but these do not consistently link shape and diet. There are also some missing or incorrect facts: The book describes owl pellets but doesn’t explain how they are expelled, and there’s contradictory information regarding when fledged chicks have to fend for themselves. The bright cartoon illustrations use full-page, two-page, spot, and boxed illustrations; Billy’s drawings appear childlike, and excerpts from reference books are more sophisticated. Billy is brown-skinned, his friends are racially diverse, and Pedro uses hearing aids. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A solid springboard for budding birders.