(2) K-3 Illustrated by Clover Robin. In this accessible science picture book, a common swift flies from Africa to Europe in order to nest and reproduce in the summer. The two-tiered narrative (larger print tells a streamlined version for younger readers, while smaller print delves into greater detail) includes such noteworthy specifics as swifts' ability to remain aloft without touching the ground for as long as four years, to sleep with one half of their brain at a time while in flight, and to drink raindrops while in motion. Sidebars introduce the life cycle of the parasitic louse fly, which lives in the bird's feathers and pupates in the nesting boxes. Engaging collage-like mixed-media illustrations against varied backgrounds capture the characteristic motion of swifts in flight. The pacing and level of detail are just right for young readers, while the information on life cycle and abilities is sure to impress slightly older ones. Back matter includes a map of the migration route, descriptions of various swift species, a pertinent web address, and an index.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(2) K-3 In an assortment of nest homes, baby birds happily await the breakfasts brought by their parents. These basic needs will be familiar to humans, too, providing a welcoming introduction to birds and an invitation to learn more about them. In the pages that follow, Ignotofsky interweaves generalized information about bird life cycles (using the Eastern Bluebird as exemplar) with explanations of bird anatomy and behaviors. Questions placed throughout the text ("What's inside an egg?" "How does a bird know where to go each year?") drive the narrative forward across topics such as nest building, learning to fly, and bird diets. The cheerful illustrations ("created traditionally and using a computer") of cartoonlike birds are the highlight of the book: packed with movement, color, and humor, they sometimes fully cover one or more pages and sometimes divide into smaller panels to explore variations across species or lists, such as the steps readers can take to preserve bird-friendly spaces in their neighborhoods. A short "sources and resources" list is appended.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Tiffany Bozic. Acting as narrator, a young hummingbird describes his first year, beginning when "my older sister and I hatch, two days apart, from eggs as small as navy beans." They feel a breeze "many times a day," signaling that food is coming. And then one day it doesn't. The two wait, cold and hungry, until the next morning when the breeze returns. Here listeners must infer what has happened; a human hand lifts their tiny nest and uses a syringe to feed the babies. They are orphans, now living in a hummingbird rescue center and gradually learning the skills they will need to survive in the larger world. Realistic and delicate, Bozic's depictions of the main points in the narrative (learning how to hover, sip nectar, and catch insects) are rendered in acrylic paint on wood with the birds placed in natural settings and poses, resembling the best of scientific illustrations. Readers follow the two as they make their way in the world, migrate south for the winter, and then return to find mates. An author's note explains that this touching success story is based on an observed hummingbird rescue. Montgomery outlines ways to save such abandoned birds (clearly emphasizing that readers shouldn't try this at home) and the many resources available to help these tiny animals of the Americas. Also appended are facts about hummingbirds, including their size and habitats.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Renato Alarcão. Seu Joao lives on an island off the coast of Brazil. When an oil-soaked Magellanic penguin washes ashore, Seu Joao takes him home, cleans him with dish soap, and names him Dindim (a grandson's attempt to pronounce the Portuguese word for penguin). As Dindim rehabilitates, the pair forms an attachment, though Seu Joao, respectful of the needs of wild animals, repeatedly tries to send Dindim back to the sea. Dindim does not leave--until one day, months later, he does. Earle's account of this true story is skillfully restrained, describing only the two characters' actions, and leaving readers to infer what human and animal feel for each other. "Seu Joao sat and drank his coffee. His lap was empty. But he remembered Dindim's silky feathers and the beat of his heart." Four months later, when Dindim amazingly returns, "the penguin waddled as fast as his little legs could carry him, right into Seu Joao's arms." Alarcao's pastel-colored illustrations capture the appeal of the people, animals, and beaches of Praia Proveta. In addition to a brief glossary, appended notes provide additional information about Seu Joao and Dindim, facts about penguins and threats to their survival, and steps that readers can take to help protect threatened species.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2023

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Marc Martin. Starlings are social birds, at times flying in groups so large that their wings create a murmuring sound that can be heard by humans on the ground. A honed text and stunning watercolor, pencil, and digital collage illustrations work together to give readers a sense of this phenomenon. "There are hundreds of us! / There are thousands of us! / There are millions of us!" Furrow brings his background as a scientist and Napoli her wide experience writing for children to this collaboration that has both the rhythm of poetry and simple but accurate information: "We find strength and safety in numbers. / We find warmth in numbers." Starlings fill and overflow the pages, swooping in gorgeous waves across the double-page spreads as the birds escape from a hungry falcon or land en masse in a field. The colors of the mixed-media illustrations bleed and blend together. The edges of each bird's wings are indistinct, smudging and overlapping as the mass travels together across the reds, oranges, and pinks of the sky. A striking gatefold gives a sense of the massive scale of a murmuration. An endnote gives readers additional information about starling behavior. Pair with Scanlon and Preston-Gannon's One Dark Bird (rev. 7/19).

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2023

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Maris Wicks. Perched in a treehouse on the border of an Australian rainforest, a young child ("you") keeps a journal chronicling the activities of a busy male satin bowerbird. The child first observes this royal blue DIYer constructing a bower (dubbed by Gianferrari as his "bachelor pad"). Like all bowerbirds, he painstakingly erects a two-walled arch of sticks leading into the space; he then decorates it with found objects (feathers, straws, and the like--all blue, this bowerbird species' signature color) to attract females. One comes, quickly followed by younger satins who repeatedly vandalize the bower. Our human observer shares a few objects to help him rebuild; a female approaches his new digs, and the two mate (offstage). The female retreats to build her nest and, with a progression depicted through comic panels, the nestlings become fledglings and depart, eventually to begin their own cycle. An author's note expands the text with particularly accessible explanations, including both print and internet resources for further inquiry. The curious child provides readers with a literary avatar, allowing them an immediacy in observing the actions of this fascinating bird. Bright, digitally colored illustrations with black outlines depict the action, offering visual confirmation for the author's textual comparisons in nature to common household items. In one case, the bird decorates with a "welcome mat," clearly shown to be a blue feather. Gianferrari (Fungi Grow, rev. 9/23) puts out her own welcome mat for young naturalists.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2023

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Amy Hevron. A young Arctic tern's extraordinary migration route takes her from the North Pole to the South Pole and back--"the longest migration of any living creature on Earth." Within just two months of her birth, "flapping and fluttering, the little Arctic tern takes off" from Greenland, one of twenty in a flock that will pass over oceans and continents, with brief rests on island beaches and floating driftwood. Hevron's account of the three-month journey explains events both perilous and wondrous, with collective nouns and sound words emphasized throughout: the birds soar over a "flamboyance" of Liberian flamingos, pods of humpback whales, and "tuk-tuk-tuk!...a raft of macaroni penguins" but are also threatened by a great skua ("Pyeh! Pyeh!") and powerful storms. Hevron's creative acrylic paintings and evocative, cool-toned sketches of the terns, sea, land, and sky are executed on wood and altered digitally to take advantage of the wood-grain textures in backgrounds and negative spaces. A helpful world map in the corner of many spreads orients readers to the tern's location at each point in the journey. Finally reaching the pack ice of the Weddell Sea in Antarctica, the bird will enjoy summer in the south before traveling back again to her Arctic breeding ground. The main narrative centers on the flight; to learn more about the tern's life cycle, feeding, and reproduction, readers can consult the informative endnotes and suggested resources.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2022

(2) YA Hoose chronicles the unique relationship between humans and the northern mockingbird in this medley of natural history, political history, mythology, and folklore. He demonstrates humanity's early links with the mockingbird by recounting stories from Pueblo, Mayan, and Hopi cultures. From there, he discusses how the bird was misidentified by Columbus, appreciated by Jefferson, painted by Audubon, studied by Darwin, and more. The book does not shy away from the uglier aspects of history, from Jefferson's reliance on enslaved people to the cruelty of the captive bird trade, with a thread of environmental concern running throughout. Hoose also highlights popular culture, including American songs featuring mockingbirds; and modern science, with new discoveries about their intelligence and capabilities. Back matter includes detailed source notes and suggestions for how readers can help preserve the northern mockingbird and other songbirds. While this book lacks some of the immediacy and firsthand observation of Hoose's other titles (Moonbird, rev. 7/12, among others)--a note acknowledges pandemic-related research obstaclea--it compensates with breadth of scope and liveliness of prose and will likely leave readers with new appreciation for this common backyard bird.

Reviewer: K Rachael Stein | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2022

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Jenni Desmond. Jenkins (Bird Builds a Nest, rev. 1/18; Beware of the Crocodile, rev. 3/19) again offers readers solid science in an entertaining package. The cover illustration of an Atlantic Puffin, beak overflowing with sand eels and standing somewhat pigeon-toed, creates a slightly comical but altogether appealing sight, encouraging youngsters to open the book to see what this bird is all about. Readers will find an engaging, accessible narrative describing a puffin's life cycle, initially revealing, through text and sweeping full-bleed illustrations, that flocks of puffins populate a favored breeding site in the spring. Spot art complements short sentences relating subsequent action: former mates find each other, birds reclaim their burrows and repair their nests, and eventually males and females take turns sitting on a solitary egg and foraging for food. When the egg hatches, parents continue to swap tasks. One night, about six weeks after birth, the chick (or puffling) exits the burrow and flies away to make a life of its own. Puffins are at their most colorful in the spring, and Desmond's lively mixed-media art accentuates this quality by often displaying the black-and-white birds with their deep orange, blue, and yellow beaks against a bright blue sky (or ocean), creating a cheerful setting for their annual ritual. Further information appears on several pages in sentences set apart from the main text and in a concluding author's note. An index and suggested websites are appended.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2022

(2) 4-6 Scientists in the Field series. Photographs by Mark Wilson. The magnificent snowy owl has only one U.S. nesting location: Ukpeagvik, on Alaska's North Shore. Readers travel vicariously to the town of Utqiagvik (previously Barrow) where they meet senior owl researcher Denver Holt, who has been studying these nesting grounds every summer since the early 1990s. In a designated hundred-square-mile area of the tundra, he makes numerous scheduled trips to count the nests; band chicks; collect data on lemmings, the staple of this creature's diet (ascertained by dissecting thirty-five thousand owl pellets); analyze nest rims for other sources of food; and study the feather markings of both males and females. Readers not only glimpse the difficulties of working in such challenging conditions, including driving or walking through the spongy tundra or meticulously protecting the nests while studying them and warding off aggressive birds of prey, but they also see how Holt uses the data to form conclusions or prompt further study. Wilson, a prolific wildlife photographer, explains his procedures for photographing these birds in their natural habitat and shares his final products in clear, informative, and often dramatic images. Appended with a glossary, a bibliography, and an index (unseen).

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2022

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Angela Harding. "Birds have conquered every continent on Earth," this title begins and goes on to describe many of them, with sections on birds of prey, freshwater birds, flightless birds, tree dwellers, and more. Brief descriptions of each species focus on their unique traits, including appearance, diet, habitat, food-gathering techniques, song, courtship rituals, and even odor (the stink bird's leafy diet makes it smell like manure). The stunning linocut illustrations, many stretching across full pages or spreads, bring these creatures to life and showcase their variety. The lack of index makes this book more suitable for browsing than for reference.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Kerns

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Kate Slater. Different species of birds use their beaks for different purposes, this book explains. Right-facing pages show the silhouette of a bird with a beak shaped like a common tool, asking the question, "What kind of bird has a beak that works like a...pair of needle-nosed pliers? ...pair of tweezers? ...sharp knife?" Turn the page to find the enthusiastic answer (a sandpiper! a wren! a hawk!) along with a description of what the beak looks like and how the bird uses it. The rich mixed-media illustrations, full of gentle pastel colors, showcase each bird in its habitat; an explanation of evolution and resources for further reading are included.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Kerns

(2) K-3 Nature Diary series. A ruby-throated hummingbird joins Meisel's previous diarists--a praying mantis (My Awesome Summer, rev. 5/17), eastern bluebird (My Happy Year, rev. 5/19), and stink bug (My Stinky Summer, rev. 7/20)--in narrating his adventures through the seasons. From a teeny hatchling in a walnut-sized nest to a fully grown adult weighing "a little more than...two pennies," Ruby T. is tiny in stature but not in presence. The spare, journal-style text serves as captions for Meisel's lively mixed-media illustrations, which effectively capture the hummingbird's energy and quick movements. Entries track the creature's growth and discuss diet, behaviors, habitat, and migration--an epic journey requiring incredible endurance (see also Robert Burleigh's Tiny Bird, rev. 5/20). The pages focused on Ruby's aggressive territorial behaviors ("June 21: This flower is MINE! No, you don't!"), especially, will be crowd-pleasers. A glossary and list of suggested websites are appended; the illustrated front and back endpapers offer more in-depth information and a ­migration/habitat map. My Tiny Life leaves a big impression.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2021

(3) K-3 "From the time they are born birds use their beaks...in many unusual and amazing ways." Single- and double-page spreads detail those ways, e.g., "This beak is for straining" (duck); "This beak is for filtering" (flamingo); "This beak is for climbing" (macaw). Each use is accompanied by a close-up of the bird and a smaller illustration of the bird using its beak; white backgrounds keep the focus on the detailed, vibrant digital illustrations. A final spread shows a graphic of the twenty-one birds drawn to scale, along with information about what they eat and where they live. A bibliography and resources for further reading are included.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Kerns

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Camilla Pintonato. If you've ever wondered about chickens or their eggs--perhaps which came first--this introduction is a good place to start. Separated into five sections (about chickens; chicken anatomy; the egg; chickens and humans; and different breeds), this title effectively makes the case that chickens are intelligent, unique, and fascinating creatures. (Did you know, for instance, that chickens can be taught to play the piano? And that they don't pee?) The clean and colorful illustrations, featuring neatly labeled diagrams and infographics and creative, occasionally whimsical drawings, are a good match for the straightforward text.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Kerns

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Wendell Minor. In the late days of summer in the northeastern United States, a ruby-throated hummingbird (here called Tiny Bird) "feels a pull and knows it must go" on its migration journey to southern Mexico. Flying solo over farmland, cities, and the Gulf of Mexico, Tiny Bird encounters peril in the form of predators and storms but safely escapes each incident to reach its winter home. (The text does note, however, that "many hummingbirds never do.") Scientific facts about hummingbird feeding and flight are emphasized in the informative text and the light- and motion-filled illustrations, which skillfully convey the bird's movements. Action words ("Zip!" "Zap!" "Swoop!") throughout accompany the pictures that freeze-frame Tiny Bird midflight, snatching up mosquitoes and dodging the snapping jaws of fish. Changes in scale show the bird's small stature in perspective, up close next to relatively gigantic flowers, or almost invisible when flying near pelicans and boats. Endnotes provide informative details about hummingbirds and encourage readers to make their yards hummingbird friendly.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2020

(2) PS Every spring, across North America, robins mate, build nests, lay eggs, and nurture their young. Cole illustrates this sequence of events with a pair of robins, employing gentle black-and-white crosshatching and one dramatic pop of color: the signature deep robin's-egg blue of the eggs, which is echoed in a soft wash in several scenes. Uncomplicated language describes the nesting process, while illustrations both mirror and extend the text. For example, a single page shows four distinct views of the female on her nest, indicating the passage of time. "She keeps the eggs warm. She is patient. Inside each egg, a baby bird is growing." On one double-page spread, twelve panels show both parents leaving the nest to search for food and returning with their bounty, reinforcing the consistency of the routine. Far from placid, the robins' lives are full of danger. A fierce storm and a predatory snake underscore the fragility of their lives and add drama to the otherwise quiet narrative. The solidly scientific account comes full circle as the baby birds learn to fly and begin to prepare for winter.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2020

(2) K-3 Nature All Around series. Illustrated by Caroline Gavin. Hickman's latest nature series entry introduces novices to many varieties of North American bird species, as well as the joys and techniques of birdwatching. The well-organized double-page layouts are filled with information ranging from explanations of bird anatomy and homes to seasonal variations in development and migration. In each, the scientific information presented goes beyond simple facts to include explanations of, for example, how birds stay warm or the importance of plant-eating birds to seed distribution. Gavin's dynamic illustrations portray common birds in their seasonal habitats, along with intricately detailed up-close images of features such as feathers, eggs, and beaks that emphasize the small differences critical for differentiating species. "Strange birds" panels found throughout the book highlight more unusual behaviors and appearances, such as laying eggs in other birds' nests (brown-headed cowbird) and climbing headfirst down tree trunks (nuthatch). Instructions for making a bird feeder are appended, along with a glossary.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2021

(2) K-3 On double-page spreads that display up to forty-seven carefully illustrated birds, Opie showcases the similarities and differences found throughout the avian world. Before the story even begins, the illustrations encourage viewers to notice how dissimilar birds can be--a peacock and a kiwi look at each other in amazement on the acknowledgments page, taking in the differences in their appearance. On every page, this cartoony little kiwi wonders where it fits in this world of birds. Opie shows that some traits are universal and others are only more common--while all birds have feathers, wings, and beaks, not every bird builds its own nest, and the kiwi, of course, does not fly. The illustrations walk a line between sharp realism and an exaggerated cartoon quality that is especially apparent in the expressive kiwi. Opie's drawings are at their best when he focuses on a single trait and shows in detail how varied it can be, as on the page where fifteen creatures display their wildly differing beaks. Back matter identifies each bird, egg, and nest depicted in the book.

Reviewer: Laura Koenig | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2020

(3) PS Illustrated by Kasia Bogdańska . "Seagulls swerve. / Seagulls soar. / Yack! Yack! Yack! / from ship to shore." With short rhyming lines somewhat reminiscent of rocking waves, Sayre follows gulls from ocean to desert to dump; informative back matter explains that "seagull is a common name for many species of birds in the family ­Laridae" and that some spend more time near water than others--but they are all survivors, adapting to changing ­conditions and habitats. Digital illustrations capture the variety of landscapes (and seascapes, and lakescapes) visited by gulls.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2020