(4) K-3 Illustrated by Louise Schroeder. Armed with a twelve-item checklist, a team of five cartoon bluebirds flies worldwide to view avian extremes such as "fastest-moving" and "pinkest." Useful sidebars include "Field Guide" compare-and-contrast details about the record-setting creatures; serious birders will likely want to skip the forced story and focus their attention on the facts. Illustrations differentiate between the cartoon animals and their quarry.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Louise Schroeder. In this follow-up to The Blues Go Birding Across America, a bird family travels along the American coastline, meeting a plethora of feathered friends along the way. It's less compelling as a story than as a birding guide; interested readers might want to skip the pun-laden text and go straight to the informative sidebars with accurate illustrations of the various birds.

Reviewer: Brittany Schlorff

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Louise Schroeder. A bluebird band travels across the U.S. in search of a new song, seeking inspiration from birds in different regions (an albatross in Hawaii, a mallard in Massachusetts, etc.). Page spreads are rather busy (with text, speech bubbles, birding tips, notebook entries, and field guide excerpts), but the volume is a clever intro to birding. Reading list, websites.

Reviewer: Beth L. Meister