The Bird Book

by Steve Jenkins (Author) Steve Jenkins (Illustrator)

The Bird Book
Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

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.

Select format:
Hardcover
$18.99

Kirkus

Another feather in the veteran co-authors’ cap.

School Library Journal

Gr 1-5--This book is all readers have come to expect from this pair. The bold and detailed illustrations pop out from the stark white backgrounds, surrounded by informational text laid out in a handwritten-style font. The information starts with the general approach--"What is a Bird?"--and continues through anatomical features, senses, flight, and their evolution from dinosaurs. How they nest, feed, defend themselves, and migrate is all included, as is a discussion of the modern environmental stresses on birds. As with the previous books, this one is jam-packed with comprehensive information and fun facts alike. A table in the back of the book outlines the size, diet, and range of all the birds represented in the book. It's high quality in illustration and information presented. VERDICT Purchase for school and public library nonfiction collections and wherever the team's previous work has been well received.--Jennifer Noonan

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Publishers Weekly

Via avian trivia and technical illustrations in cut-paper collage, the longtime collaborators (The Shark Book) invite browsers to a visually jaunty, loosely organized compendium positioned for budding bird nerds. The late Jenkins assembles paper snipped and torn into naturalistic portraits of some of the world's 10,000-plus bird species: a blue-gray shoebill stork with its massive sand-colored beak, a pileated woodpecker clinging to a tree, a speckled Humboldt penguin leaving a trail of bubbles in mottled blue seawater, and extinct "ancient giants," including a terror bird, teratorn, and moa. A labeled American robin models bird basics, including hollow bones for lightweight flight, a multipurpose bill, and feathery insulation. Double spreads spotlight single specimens in a shared space against a clean white backdrop, a format that lends itself to uncontextualized captions. General notes reveal that flocks "sense the Earth's magnetic field" to migrate and "see ultraviolet light" that humans don't; like many species, "sandhill cranes choose a mate for life." A four-page fine-print appendix details covered birds' "size, diet, and range." Meticulous collages are the star attraction of a catalog that recommends learning "as much as we can about these remarkable creatures" in order to help birds survive. Ages 6-10. (Dec.)

Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"[S]pectacularly realistic collage illustrations . . . Another feather in the veteran co-authors' cap." — Kirkus Reviews

Classification
Non-fiction
ISBN-13
9780358325697
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Clarion Books
Publication date
December 06, 2022
Series
-
BISAC categories
JNF003050 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Animals | Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures
JNF051150 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Science & Nature | Zoology
JNF003030 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Animals | Birds
Library of Congress categories
-

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