F is for Feathers: An Informational Picture Book Review and Giveaway

Along with the many fine books that Sleeping Bear Press publishes, they also have a line of alphabet books. Two years ago I reviewed H is for Honey and T is for Thor and today I'm bringing you a new title, F is for Feathers: A Bird Alphabet.  I have featured both the author, Helen Wilbur, and the illustrator, Andy Atkins on my blog. I am happy to share another one of their beautiful STEM books.

Each of the alphabet books in this series combines poetry that is accessible to younger readers and text that 2-4th graders will understand. 

REVIEW

From the publisher's cover sheet:

Grab your binoculars, this new alphabet tour by Helen L. Wilbur is a grand exploration into all things birds! With over 10,000 bird species on Earth, there is plenty to explore. The featured creatures vary in size, shape, color, and abilities. And besides being beautiful to look, at birds are a critical part of our ecosystems and support biodiversity on our planet.

Every page teaches about either bird anatomy, types of birds, or a vast variety of related concepts such as their behavior and language, geographic range, migration, threats, and the role of an ornithologist. 

Here is some of what I learned and enjoyed in F is for Feathers.

B is for Beak

Did you know that the shape and size of a bird's beak depend on the food it eats?  

Catching insects in the air,

cracking nuts and seeds,

sipping nectar, peeling fruit,

breaks show how each bird feeds.

C is for Chickadees and Caching 

Chickadees cache hundreds of seeds and insects each day and remembers them in the winter. Did you know that chickadees add more dee notes to the chick-a-dee-dee to give out a predator call?

F is for Feathers

Soft and bright, strong and light,

perfectly designed for flight,

for keeping warm and dry and sleek,

feathers make all birds unique.

H is for Habitat

J is for Jays

Jays, ravens, crows and magpies belong to the corvid family of birds. Corvids can be loud and annoying and are treated as nuisance birds. But cross them at your peril. Crows can remember your face and they carry grudges.

L is for Lovebirds

Although this entry focused mostly on lovebird parrots, it also mentioned other bird families that begin with courtship. One of the birds that Helen Wilbur mentions is the sand crane. Here's a video of cranes I've seen in Florida. Skip the ads and enjoy!

N is for Nests

Who doesn't remember the joy of finding a birds nest? My grandchildren have been enjoying watching brown thrashers build their next inside their stacked garden in Charlotte, NC.

Photographs courtesy C. Kasten

When I think of nests, I also think of my FB friend, Melodye Shore who posts beautiful pictures she takes of hummingbirds from her garden in coastal Orange County, California. 

This verse in F is for Feathers reminded me of the bluebird boxes I saw on a golf course in Tennessee.

   

Come along the bluebird trail,

nesting boxes in a row.

Safe and warm in cozy homes,

little baby bluebirds grow.

U is for Updraft

This page definitely belongs in a book about birds. The text discuses how birds ride on spiraling thermals enabling to soar over many miles during migrations.

Z is for Zones

In this perfect ending to this beautiful and informative book, the information on this page discusses the four north-south flyway zones in North America and how important they are to migrating birds.

CURRICULUM RESOURCE

This book is a shoo-in as an important resource for elementary school educators. The front matter includes a beautiful illustration of the parts of a bird and a glossary. The back matter include suggestions on identifying and helping birds.

GIVEAWAY

Leave a comment by August 8 if you are interested in winning this book. Please leave your name and email address if you are new to my blog. If you prefer, drop me a note here. If you are a librarian or educator, your name will be entered twice. U.S. addresses only. 

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HOW TO FIND A BIRD: A Picture Book Review and Giveaway

 Congratulations to Sandra Warren who won THE OTHER MADISONS audio book on last week's blog.

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I was introduced to How to Find a Bird  through NF FEST, a blog dedicated to nonfiction picture book writers. (Oh, I didn't tell you that I'm working on a picture book? Stay tuned.) Written by Jennifer Ward with engaging illustrations by Diana Sudyka  this new book (Beach Lane Books, 2020) will immediately draw young readers inside the pages.

REVIEW

The text starts with a simple fact,

which is "the wonderful thing about birds."

Of course,

You must move quietly and look all around. Not just in the sky, but also,

Some birds "sneak snacks," others splash, and some hide in trees.

Looking up into the sky works too!

Sometimes birds let you know if they see you or "announce your presence when they see you."

But the best way to find a bird is to LISTEN!

CURRICULUM RESOURCE 

This book will not only be a great read aloud at home, but K-2nd grade classroom teachers can use it to encourage the young birders in their classroom. They can discuss the five senses as well as the birds' habitats.  Jennifer has this great bibliography of bird-focused books. The back matter includes tools and tips on bird watching and ways to become a citizen scientist which would make a great school project. 

TWO GIVEAWAYS!

Jennifer is giving away an autographed copy of the book to one winner, and TWO Zoom or Skype visits (which can include multiple classrooms) to another winner. Please leave a comment (with your email address if you are new to my blog) by March 26. Please indicate if you are interested in winning the book or the Zoom/Skype visits. I will try to honor your request. 

TO ENTICE YOU FURTHER

Here's the book trailer:

Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go outside and find the birds who are nesting outside my window. 

Three Picture Books for the Youngest Readers (and their Parents) from Sleeping Bear Press + Two Giveaways!

 Congratulations to Danielle Hammelef who won the ARC of Between Sam and Me. Stay tuned! You'll have another chance to win an ARC in October.

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The holidays will be here before you know it and my shelves are overflowing with Sleeping Bear Press Books to review and give away. Win them now and stash them for presents later. I'll do my best to get them into as many hands as possible!

WELCOME TO THE WORLD

Helen Foster James is no stranger to my blog. Her series of "Love and Family" books (my title, not hers!) feature animal characters who adore their little ones. Welcome to the World is no exception.

Mommy and Daddy Squirrel welcome their new arrival into their lives with nicknames such as sunshine, smiley, and cutie. 

I love the soft, pastel illustrations by Petra Brown that almost beg you to touch them. I particularly like how she showed where baby squirrel sleeps. 

Little squirrel plays with toys that readers will recognize are just like their own; and sings and dances with her parents --just like people do! 

And at the end of the day, little squirrel is surrounded by those who love her.

This book would make a lovely baby present (or new parent or grandparent gift); the spot in the front of the book for a photo of Baby's First Days waits for the perfect picture. 

UNICORN YOGA

In this unique first book on yoga, little ones will learn eleven poses as modeled by three unicorns--an instructor and two "assistants" who can more or less accomplish the poses. 

Yoga is for everybody...and for every body. Big, small, young, old. The practice makes us strong and graceful.

Cow Pose instructions are to the point:  Roll up onto your hands and knees and take a deep breath in through your nose. Drop your belly, lift your tail, and look up. What child won't love lifting his tail??

Forward-Fold Pose provides interesting challenges for unicorns and kids.

And then of course, afterward, everyone gets to rest in Relaxation Pose.

The back matter includes information and definitions. Unicorn Yoga is written by the mother and daughter team, Gina Cascone and Bryony Williams Sheppard. I wondered about their choice of subject material, and found the answer on their website:

Because yoga provides so many benefits, it seems only logical to introduce the practice to children as early as possible.  So, we approached our editor with a picture book to do just that. She shared it with the wonderfully creative team at Sleeping Bear Press and came back to us with the idea that unicorns might encourage children to become engaged.

The concept was not as far-fetched as our editor feared we might find it. After all, both yogis and unicorns are joyful, playful, and magical. There is an even more concrete correlation. In the Indus River Valley, in India, five-thousand-year-old bronze seals have been found; some depicting yogis and some depicting unicorns.

The fun illustrations are by Jennifer Sattler, another fine illustrator whom I have featured on my blog before. 

SING SOME MORE

This humorous book is about four bird friends who love to sing. Their "voices" not only are filled with musical vocabulary (that is defined in the back matter) but are also brimming with a desire to Sing Some More.

Written by Deborah Diesen and illustrated by Howard Gray, each page feels the birds' poetic rhythm. Toddlers will quickly learn to chime in on the "chorus."

We're the birds that make the music 

that you hear up in the trees,

And we vocalize with gusto 

as we hit the notes with ease.

The birds wake a family up and follow them to their picnic.

We perform our songs for others

And we hope they'll sing along.

We have tunes for all occasions,

And our harmonies are strong.

We create new music daily.

And it never comes out wrong.

The birds leave each page with the refrain of, "And when we're DONE?" that is answered on the next page with, "We sing some more!"

After a busy day of "singing from their hearts," the birds FINALLY admit they are tired. 

Well actually...

I think we're really done." (says the Robin).

"Yeah, I'm pretty tired." (says the Cardinal).

"Time to call it a day." (says the Wren).

"Good night!" (says the Blue Jay).

But in the end, they're not done because they promise that tomorrow, 

GIVEAWAY

I am giving away Unicorn Yoga and Sing Some More. In your comment please indicate your preference. Leave me your email address if you are new to my blog. Speaking of which--if you're visiting my blog for the first time, sign up to follow my blog and I'll enter your name twice! (If you're uncomfortable leaving your email address, you can contact me here.) Giveaway ends on September 25.