School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-3There are many outstanding books about birds written for young children, but this isn't one of them. It gives some basic facts about and characteristics of birds, but does so in an undistinguished way. The text veers from the overly simple ("W is for woodpecker. `Knock, knock, knock,' the big woodpecker knocks. All woodpeckers knock on wood") to the obscure ("Z is for Zenaida Dove. Once upon a time, a prince named this sweet dove Zenaida after the princess he loved.") Also, when the vibrant and beautiful full-color photographs are mixed with realistic, almost clinical, drawings the effectiveness of the photos is diminished. Cathryn Sill's About Birds (Peachtree, 1991), Jim Arnosky's Crinkleroot's Guide to Knowing the Birds (1992), and Crinkleroot's 25 Birds Every Child Should Know (1993, both Bradbury) are much better choices for this age group.Melissa Hudak, North Suburban District Library, Roscoe, IL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
The venerable ornithologist's subjects fly, perch, run, waddle and swim their way through the alphabet in this eyecatching book. The superbly reproduced, arrestingly scaled art in diverse media-paintings, photographs and collages of field guide illustrations-maintains a high level of visual excitement all the way from Albatross to Zeneida Dove, no mean feat for an abecedary with its predetermined path. Finely wrought layouts pair these varied pictures with brief text blocks set off by brightly colored initial capitals. Most entries concentrate on particular birds, but three unexpectedly offer interesting general information: "F" is for "feathers," "N" is for "nest" and "T" is for ``tails.'' The tone of the text varies, too, but less successfully-a coy phrase like ``White Pelicans scoop lots of yummy fish'' is rather discordant when facing ``Quails have plumes like the hats on leaders of marching bands.'' Despite the subtitle, this book is more for bird fanciers than for birdwatchers-the birds shown here may be striking, but they are not likely to be spotted by the audience (illustrating ``W,'' for example, is the uncommon Pileated woodpecker, not the familiar Downy woodpecker). The result: a bit of a peacock, gorgeous to behold, but not a high-flier. Ages 2-5. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
