Hummingbirds and herons, pelicans and pigeons, blackbirds, Blue Jays, goldfinches, redpolls, and Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers—these birds and many more flock through the pages of Birdwise, a great kids' introduction to our feathered friends.Did you know that owls can see 100 times better than you can? That a scientist did a mating dance with his whooping crane so that she could lay her eggs? And that you can have fun spotting and looking after the birds in your own neighborhood? This book presents hundreds of fascinating facts and amazing activities that will make you birdwise.Watch birds at home in their nests or in one of the four birdhouses you can build yourself. Observe what different birds eat, and feed them yourself with six special feeders and your own gourmet birdfood. You can even help your feathered friends take baths the way they like: in water and in dust! Starting a feather collection, learning bird songs, birdproofing your windows with a cutout of a hawk, and many more fun projects will keep you wise as an owl.
Grade 2-6-- A basic introduction to birdwatching with tips on locating, observing, and identifying birds. Hickman combines factual text with directions for the construction of simple birdhouses, feeders, etc., presented in clearly numbered steps and corresponding illustrations. A section on the care of injured or baby birds and suggestions on how to protect birds from man's modern environment is included. Black-and-white drawings of birds are effective, but the depictions of children involved in birding activities are not as refined and tend to detract rather than enhance the text. The first section, "What's in a Name?" includes a composite of an imaginary bird and suggests that readers name it. Such an introduction doesn't establish the credibility that the remainder of this nonfiction book deserves. Bird (Knopf, 1988) by David Burnie provides more detailed information about bird features and behaviors, and Roger Tory Peterson's A Field Guide to the Birds (Houghton, 1980) will appeal to children with more experience in birding. --Diane Nunn, Richard E. Byrd Elementary School, Glen Rock, NJ
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.