Birds are easy to love and Cathryn Sill’s book, About Birds, is an excellent way of introducing birds to young children. The book presents the basic characteristics of birds and introduces seventeen specific birds from cardinals and robins to ovenbirds and road runners. The birds are depicted realistically and shown in their natural environment to add to the learning experience. The colorful pictures and rapid pace of the text will hold the attention of very young children, while older children can quickly learn to read the book for themselves.
In a two page spread a single fact is presented in a simple sentence or phrase and is accompanied by a full page illustration. The author begins by pointing out that birds have feathers and hatch from eggs, and continues with information on nesting, locomotion, habits, sizes, feeding and bills. An Afterward contains more detailed information on birds that will appeal to older children and those that have a special interest in birds. We learn, for example, that the pointed pear-shaped eggs of the common murre roll in a circular motion that prevents the eggs from falling off the rocky ledges where they are laid. Each reading of the this book reveals new and interesting facts about birds that will enhance the readers appreciation of birds and lay a good foundation for further study.
To buy About Birds: A Guide for Children from Amazon.com click here.
Karen Meyers