Reviews (3)

A calm and lovely view of Appalachia
Author Cynthia Rylant and illustrator Barry Moser were both reared in Appalachia, and they are completely in sync on this book.The calm, clear-eyed text and the evocative watercolor paintings balance and enhance each other beautifully. Appalachia: The Voices of Sleeping Birds
Cynthia Rylant has once again captured the true spirit of the Appalachian culture. Her descriptions are right on target. Many of us, who live in this wild and wonderful country, know folks just like those she introduces to us in all of her stories. The significance of this book, for me, is to keep alive the warm, wonderful spirit of this amazing culture she so colorfully shares with readers. I'm giving this book to children and adults as well.

A Different World!
This book is wonderful!I read it to my class to help them understand what life was like in the Appalachian Mountains compared to their life in Chicago.My students were spell-bound, held by the wonderful descriptionsand beautiful illustrations.They really understood that there are manydifferent cultures within our nation! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals - Birds    2. Appalachian Region, Southern    3. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    4. Children: Grades 3-4    5. Description and travel    6. Juvenile Nonfiction    7. Juvenile literature    8. People & Places - United States    9. Social life and customs    10. Juvenile Nonfiction / People & Places / United States   

Reviews (4)

Full of good information, but a bit dated
I bought this book as a gift for a neighbor child who enjoys watching birds at the feeder between our houses. When it arrived from Amazon, I skimmed through it, and had mixed feelings. The stories are wonderful to read as an adult but seem a bit dated, and, while still an enjoyable read, may be less than engaging for many children. The illustrations are fairly interpretive and rendered in black and white, so the book doesn't function as any kind of quick reference. But as a learning tool for increasing a child's acquaintance with familiar backyard birds, it's very good. Paired with a good quick-reference field guide or chart, this could make for many happy hours of satisfied bird-watching.

NatureEnthusiastPleaser
This book's stories are a delightful way to encourage nature apprecition for all ages.

A sure fire way to get your children interested in birds!!
I have been fascinated with birds since I was young.I have 5 children and wanted to pass on this love.They were only slightly interested until I read this book to them.The intermingling of story and fact is just enough to keep even my young ones interested.
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Subjects:  1. Animals - Birds    2. Birds    3. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Nonfiction    4. Children: Grades 2-3    5. Juvenile literature    6. Children's and Educational    7. Juvenile Fiction / General   

Reviews (2)

Fine Feathered Friends
In this book the cat in the hat comes back again to visit Dick and Sally, but this time he doesn't create a mess. This time he has come to teach them all about birds. To start off with he talks about birds in general, how they have feathers and a tail and hatch out of eggs. Then he, Thing 1, and Thing 2 take Sally and Dick to different places to introduce them to several different types of birds, such as the spoonbill, emperor penguin, bald eagle, ostrich and more. The cat then leads them all into his Fine Feather, All-Weather Flying Machine, getting them home just in time so that their mother doesn't notice they were gone. This book is very informative, and is written in rhyme. The pictures are bright, bold and colorful. Somehow though, this book fails to capture my attention and hold it, making it not one of the best books I've read by this author. Learning to love nature
This book engaged my 4 year old daughter from the moment she saw the cover.The combination of familiar characters (The Cat in the Hat, Sally) and silly Seuss-like rhymes and drawings is a wonderful vehicle forteaching preschoolers simple biology concepts.My daughter laughed whilelearning about the biggest, smallest, and quirkiest members of the birdfamily. This book is part of a series that spans birds, fish, mammals,insects, and dinosaurs.As a group, the series is a great tool to teachchildren about groupings in nature (i.e., what do mammals, insects, birdshave in common?, how do they differ?).Even adults can learn a fact or twowhile reading to the little ones! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals - Birds    2. Birds    3. Children's 4-8 - Nature    4. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    5. Children: Grades 1-2    6. Juvenile Nonfiction    7. Juvenile literature    8. Nature - General    9. Readers - Beginner    10. Juvenile Nonfiction / General   

Reviews (22)

Lord God, what a book!
At the risk of sounding blasphemous let me simply say "Lord God, what a book!" This book belongs on your MUST READ list!
Engrossing Non-fiction
I picked this book up based on recommendations from online reader groups who said it would read more like fiction than non-fiction.They were right!Hoose has meticulously researched the plight of the "Lord God Bird", the ivory-billed woodpecker, documenting the efforts to locate the dwindling population and the sad effects of man vs. nature.Well highlighted by photographs, we follow the loss of this magnificent creature as its habitat is swallowed up by man's greed in the first half of the twentieth century.Hoose's writing is vivid and engrossing and caused me to do that rarest of things---go online and research more for myself.Most interesting of all is that just after this book was published, there have been reports of the rediscovery of the ivory-bill!This is a wonderful book appropriate for people of all ages and especially those who are worried about the endangerment of species by mankind's shortsightedness.Recommended!

The Lord God Bird
I thought that this book was well written, reasearched, and thought through. But as a 12 year old I didn't enjoy it quite as much as i think an older person would. I think that the author wrote the stories well, and made them very drawing. This book was not one of my favorite books, partially because it was very hard to read. The other reason was beause to me it was a bit confusing. I could see him doing a kids version of the same book, but making it a bit simpler or shorter. I thought that the author did a great job in writing this book, but I think you should wait to read it until you are a bit older. Some people I know thought it was a great book, but they're older than me. So again I thought that this was an o.k. book, but not a great kid's read. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals - Birds    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Children's Books/Young Adult Misc. Nonfiction    4. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    5. Endangered species    6. Environmental Studies (Young Adult)    7. Ivory-billed woodpecker    8. Ivory-billed woodpeckers    9. Juvenile Nonfiction    10. Juvenile literature    11. Nature    12. Science & Nature - Environmental Conservation & Protection    13. Science & Nature - Environmental Science & Ecology    14. Woodpeckers    15. Juvenile Nonfiction / Science & Technology / Environmental Science & Ecology   

Reviews (5)

Making numbers make sense!
Mr.Flansburg's methods of stressing basic math skills are new and important before algebra or higher math will make sense. His new web site thehumancalculator.com also offers more information about his goal to wipe out innumeracy. He taught me it's never to late to conquer math phobia and fulfill my career goals that never materialized because of math avoidance.

Confused on age level
The book was ok however, I wanted a book for older students.This is recommended for 6 th 8 year olds.The book is in an easy to read format and has breaks to complete exercises to practice what you learned.

In a math-phobic era more people should read this book!!
I homeschool my kids who like the ideas behind math but find drilling real agony!!! They are beginning to see the fun in it and don't mind repetition any more. Thanks and praise to Scott Flansberg!!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals - Birds    2. Children: Grades 4-6    3. Education    4. Family / Parenting / Childbirth    5. Games & Activities - General    6. Juvenile Nonfiction    7. Mathematics    8. Parenting - General    9. Recreations & Games    10. Study and teaching    11. Study and teaching (Elementary    12. Study and teaching (Elementary)    13. Family & Relationships / Parenting   

Editorial Review

Can you imagine spending a freezing cold Antarctic winter outside, with no food for miles around--maybe even a hundred miles? This is what the male emperor penguin does. After his mate has laid her egg, she takes off for the ocean where she swims about, getting plump on squid and fish, while Papa stands around keeping the egg warm for two entire months! Martin Jenkins's remarkable picture book about an extraordinary bird is sure to be an immediate favorite with children of all ages. In a compelling example of truth being stranger than fiction, he tells the story of the unusual habits of this largest of the penguin family (there are 17 kinds!). Jenkins's enthusiastic fascination for this polar phenomenon comes through loud and clear in his changeable font sizes and humorous personal asides ("So that means two whole months with an egg on your feet Read more

Reviews (5)

Great Non-fiction Book for the Preschool Set
I purchased this book for my three year old after I took him to see "March of the Penguins."He loves it!It's a really great companion for this movie as it follows the story line almost exactly.For a long time he had to carry it around the house with him everywhere - even to bed at night.This book has great illustrations.It is a little "text heavy" for his attention span - but it's easy to just skip over some of the more "science -y" parts.

good companion for the 'March of the Penguins' movie
I have a penguin-mad 4 yr old who can't understand why I can't go buy him the 'March of the Penguins' dvd yet.This book is a close substitute until that happens.It follows the movie pretty close without the munching and dying.He is pleased... for now.Very sweet and fun to read.

A gem for your collection
I collect books specifically about the emperor penguin breeding cycle.When I choose a book, I want the emperor penguin pictures to be fairly accurate (not cartoony or wacky) as well as beautiful, vivid, elegant, etc..And I want the writing to reflect love for the story of these penguins.Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals - Birds    2. Behavior    3. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    4. Children: Grades 1-2    5. Emperor penguin    6. Habits and behavior    7. Juvenile Nonfiction    8. Juvenile literature    9. Parental behavior in animals    10. Juvenile Nonfiction / Animals / Birds   

Reviews (1)

remember the adventure!
Rebeccasreads highly recommends MARCH OF THE PENGUINS, the companion book to that glorious movie.
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Subjects:  1. Animals - Birds    2. Animals - General    3. Antarctica    4. Children's All Ages    5. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    6. Children: Grades 2-3    7. Juvenile Fiction    8. Juvenile literature    9. Movie-TV Tie-In - General    10. Penguins    11. Animals    12. Juvenile Nonfiction / Animals / General   

Reviews (3)

Seabird a journey through time
I first read this book about thirty years ago, and would regularly re-visit it and other titles by this author, until I grew out of so called picture books.That I can still recall the pictures from Seabird, and the images that the cast in my mind testify to the quality of the writing.The journey from coastal whaling off Nantucket, to Greenland, the Pacific and the Yankee clippers that have forged their way into Legend, ending with one of the protaganists and his grandchild on a steamship in the 1920s will never leave me.Books like this should never die or be forgotten.You owe it to your children to make sure they read it.

Beautiful illustrations and unforgettable story
I haven't forgotten it in the 20 years since I last read it.I'm ordering it right now to read it with my sons.This is a lyrical book that can survive a post-politically-correct viewing without losing any of its character.

Age of Discovery
From its inception in the 1940's, Seabird has offered children of all ages a rich blend of New World nautical history, from tall-masted ships to steamships, all woven into an adventure of global exploration by sea.Highly recommended.Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals - Birds    2. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    3. Children: Grades 4-6    4. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    5. Fiction    6. Juvenile Nonfiction    7. Nature & the Natural World - General    8. Sea stories    9. Whaling    10. Juvenile Fiction / Nature & the Natural World   

Reviews (12)

Five-hoot rating!
I was very pleasantly surprised by this book. It appears to be designed to appeal to kids, but turns out to also have stunning array of fantastic information, often more than you find in "serious" owl books (e.g., "North American Owls", or "Owls the Silent Fliers").Also, maybe less than half of the book is directly about "owl puke", the rest being jam-packed with sections on owl calls, hearing and vision, hunting technique, how they stay cool, mating, digestion, puking in the animal kingdom (that's right, horses can't puke), a recipe for "owl puke" candy, etc.And naturally if your intent is to examine some owl pellets, then of course this is a great book for that too. Despite the great (and accurate) technical content, it would not be intimidating for a youngster to read. And it's sprinkled with humor. Highly recommended (by someone over 40).

A Real Hoot!,
Owl Puke(TM) is a wonderful hunters tool used for trapping pigeons which feed on the poop and vomit of nighttime owls, which by the way, has plenty of calcium and protein. Just spread this out on the snow and wait a few moments and about one hundred pigeons will fly there instantly. Suggestion: buy about 100 packs of this because actually its rather tasty.
Good gift for a tween boy
Gave this to my husband's 11 year old son.It was received well.He was into it.That's a hard age to buy for and this was a hit. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals - Birds    2. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Science    3. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    4. Juvenile Nonfiction    5. Science & Nature - Biology    6. Science & Nature - Environmental Science & Ecology    7. Birds & birdwatching    8. Experiments & science projects    9. Juvenile Nonfiction / Science & Technology / Biology   

Reviews (1)

Plenty of facts makes for good, solid owl information
There are well over a hundred different kinds of owls living on every continent except Antarctica, and details on twenty of them living in North America are the focus of Gail Gibbons' introductory Owls, with drawings depicting owls as Gibbons surveys owl natural history from egg to owlet to adult. Plenty of facts makes for good, solid owl information. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals - Birds    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    3. Children: Grades 1-2    4. Gibbons, Gail    5. Juvenile Nonfiction    6. Juvenile literature    7. Owls   

Reviews (2)

Most Useful
This was the most useful book for learning to draw birds that I have found to date. It was easy to follow, the drawings were accurate without being overly ornate, and the diversity of birds was perfect. I would recommend this book to anyone trying to learn to draw, and especially for those who want to draw birds.

Very good
good book. when Lee J. Ames draws with someone else it is a bit harder.still easy and fun. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animal painting and illustrati    2. Animals - Birds    3. Art - Drawing    4. Birds in art    5. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Nonfiction    6. Children: Grades 4-6    7. Drawing    8. Juvenile literature    9. Technique    10. Art / Drawing    11. Birds (ornithology)    12. Drawing & drawings    13. Iconography, subjects depicted in art   

Reviews (15)

good book
I had a peterson for over 25 years, dragged it everywhere, finally thought I should up grade my books to just western, since I live in oregon. still love the pictures and details, but the range maps have strangely gone to the back of the book! Horrible.
Wonderful Guide!But a few quibbles...
A wonderful guide, as expected!I live in the eastern US and use my Peterson guide to the birds of eastern North America almost daily -- it is, in my view, a perfect field guide to birds.I bought this guide for use when traveling on the west coast.
Best Bird Bang for the Buck!
I've got the Stokes guides - Western Birds, Hawks and Buteos, and Nests of Western Birds.I have borrowed some other books that have photos instead of artwork.I FAR prefer the Peterson guide.With photos you have to worry about color-rendering, trueness, et al.
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Subjects:  1. Birds    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Canada    4. Canada, Western    5. Identification    6. Nature    7. Nature/Ecology    8. Ornithology    9. West (U.S.)    10. Birds & birdwatching    11. Birds (ornithology)    12. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Reviews (9)

Very disappointing bells and whistles
I was very excited to get this book for my one year old, bird-loving daughter after reading other posted reviews.The bird call buttons only worked for a day.I assumed that the battery was dead, so attempted to change it, but couldn't find a screwdriver minute enough to fit the miniscule screw and had to give up.The pull flap idea to see the mystery bird is cute, and my daughter was excited to see the birds emerge, but several of them would not close again without major contortions (for me, impossible for my daughter) and have gotten harder and harder to close with use, so now we just leave them all open.The information is great and the pictures arevery well done, but the calls and pull flaps are very poor quality.I would not recommend that anyone buy this book.

Fantastic Book
I bought this for my 2 year old who still has a precocious love of birds.As a birder, I would say the bird calls are reasonably accurate and my daughter learned them all within a week or so.She continues to enjoy this book a year later although I would say the pull tabs are of poor quality and become flimsy far too quickly.In order to push the tabs, she needs adult help now that they do not work so well.Her 9 month old sister now loves to hear the bird calls.

A Preschool Winner!!
A parent shared this book with my son's preschool class when they were doing a lesson on birds. The kids hadalot of fun trying to guess the birds based on the description and the sounds. The teacher's and myself were so impressed with this book that I came home and ordered two copies...one for the class and one for my home!! I am also planning on purchasing "Night Sounds", also written by the same author. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals - Birds    2. Children's 4-8 - Nature    3. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    4. Juvenile Nonfiction    5. Nature - General    6. Juvenile Nonfiction / Animals / Birds   

Reviews (2)

Peackocks - Review
I ended up returning this book because it wasn't at all what I was expecting.I expected a much larger book.This one was a thin and small as a childs book.I don't recommend it, especially for $25.It's not worth nearly that much $$.

Really Outstanding Children�s Book
I am a third-grade teacher who bought this book for my nine-year-old daughter when she requested a picture book about peacocks.Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals - Birds    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    3. Children: Grades 2-3    4. Juvenile Nonfiction    5. Juvenile literature    6. Peacocks    7. Peafowl    8. Birds & birdwatching   

Reviews (1)

A Nest Full of Eggs
My 5 year old son and I found this to be a very enjoyable book.I appreciate this book because it is so informative, yet reads more like a story than a textbook.The story begins in the Spring as the robin buildsher nest and lays her eggs.It continues as the eggs hatch, and the birdsgrow up. The story closes as the birds leave in late September and explainsthat they will return the next Spring.I feel this "Full Circle"approach is very helpful to young learners.All throughout the book thisstory uses new words for children to learn and very naturally weaves thedefinitions into the story.The illustrations are a tremendous asset asthey help to reinforce the new words.There are several processes shown step by step such as the development within an egg and the building of anest.They are clearly and delightfully explained and also very wellillustrated. I sometimes come across a children's book that captures myattention, yet fails to interest my son.What value does such a book haveit it fails to reach the audience it was written for?I find this is notthe problem with "A Nest Full of Eggs" as it is entertaining forboth adults and children, while having the substance adults would like toteach to children.It is written for children yet does not talk down tothem.This book is a part of a larger series called,"Let's read andFind out Science".I have also enjoyed reading others in the seriesand would highly recommend investigating this series. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals    2. Animals - Birds    3. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    4. Children: Grades 1-2    5. Eggs    6. Juvenile literature    7. Nature - General    8. Parental behavior in animals    9. Robins    10. Science & Nature - General    11. Juvenile Nonfiction / Science & Technology / General   

Reviews (2)

flamingos come to life
As a zoo volunteer and storyteller, I look for books that will be of interest to children. This book, captures the life of a flamingo. The illustrations are of good quality. This story I will be reading in front of the flamingo exhibit at the zoo.
Mud City by Brenda Guiberson
This is a Wonderful and accurate story about the Flamingo Colony on Inagua in the Bahamas. I've bought 4 copies of the book to give to friends who are either bird watchers, or are interested in Bahamian natural history. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals - Birds    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    3. Children: Kindergarten    4. Flamingos    5. Juvenile Life Sciences    6. Juvenile Nonfiction    7. Juvenile literature    8. Life cycles    9. Juvenile Nonfiction / Animals / Birds   

Subjects:  1. Animals - Birds    2. Birds    3. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    4. Children: Grades 1-2    5. Juvenile Nonfiction    6. Juvenile literature    7. Nests   

Reviews (11)

Beautiful story with a valuable life lesson
I bought this book because of the title as a gift for a neighbor child who enjoys watching birds at the feeder between our houses. When it arrived from Amazon, I read through it to ensure it was the right kind of book to give as a gift. It was moving and beautiful. Having recently lost my father, the message of loss and acceptance was bittersweet and definitely drew my tears, making me wonder if it would be an inappropriate gift. But reading this as a child could be the kind of early preparation that could make it easier for people to accept great loss (as well as smaller disappointments) later in life. I remember gaining that kind of value as a child from books like "The Velveteen Rabbit." If that kind of message is something you'd like to expose your kids to gently, this is a wonderful book for that purpose.
a loving fan
This wonderful book is not well known. I found it by accident and fell in love with it. To this day it still makes me cry. More children should be read this story. It is a beautiful story of hope and love. The hope that you will find love. It is great reading and has wonderful illustrations.
It's about hope!
I found this book again while cleaning my daughter's room; I found it years ago and it is such a wonderful and uplifting story. Perhaps it was more than serendipity that I found it again, for it seemed the perfect message to send to an adult friend who needed some TLC -- for its main message, to my mind, is one of hope, and of believing in the power of love. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals - Birds    2. Birds    3. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    4. Children: Kindergarten    5. Fiction    6. Juvenile Fiction    7. Legends, Myths, & Fables - General    8. Mountains    9. Science & Nature - Rocks & Minerals    10. Social Issues - Emotions & Feelings    11. Juvenile Fiction / Legends, Myths, Fables / General   

Editorial Review

Judy Sierra, author of the well-loved picture books Read more

Reviews (12)

Accurate and fun information
This book gives good basic information on penguins in a very fun format.The poems are catchy.I teach 3-6 year olds and I caught them repeating the phrases they liked the best.I highly recommend it for this age group.

reading aide
I bought this book for my son since he is interested in penguins.Most penguin story books are promoted to toddlers or are penguin science books; not books for fictional reading for older children.Normally he doesn't choose to read but when he received this book for christmas, he immediately put down his other items and began to look through the book.Later that evening, before bedtime, he chose to read his book before going to sleep.He also liked that the book had poems; something he's been studying in school and hasn't seen how it could be fun to read.Now he likes them a little more.I'm glad it will help to promote more reading for him.

Poems About Penguins.
First of all, I love this book because I love penguins. However, as a piece of children's literature, it's so much more. This is an excellent example of how literature (poetry) and science can go hand and hand. There are some poems in this book that seem written just for fun, (e.g. "Be My Penguin"). However, most of the poems in this book are written about and around actual behaviors that penguins exhibit: from regurgiating their food to feed the young ("Regurgitate") to the motherly instincts of father penguins ("A Hatchling's Song" and "My Father's Feet")to poetic riddles about penguin predators (sea lion, killer whale). The book is charming, easy to read, and full of delightful penguin illustrations. A great gift for any child interesting in science or literature or anyone who (like me) just loves penguins. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals - Birds    2. Animals - Marine Life    3. Antarctica    4. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    5. Children's poetry, American    6. Children: Grades 1-2    7. Juvenile Fiction    8. Juvenile poetry    9. Penguins    10. Poetry    11. Poetry - Humorous    12. Juvenile Nonfiction / Poetry / Humorous   

Reviews (3)

No good for a backyard birdwatcher
I bought this book just so that I could identify some of the birds at my backyard birdfeeder.So far, I've only been able to identify one from this book.The pictures and descriptions aren't very good, and it's very hard to narrow down the type of bird, since they're not organized by geographic area, etc.I would definitely recommend the National Audobon Society books over this one.

Great first book
My 7yo daughter and I have had great fun identifying the birds in our backyard with this little book.It features the most common birds one might see.I like how they how it organized by size and type of bird (allthe water birds are together, all the birds of prey, all the smallerFenches and Sparrows, etc.Easy to find that way.There was one birddrawing that was more colorful than the actual bird we saw.This might bedue to the fact that they don't picture every type of one kind of bird.Itis a GREAT first guide for kids and adults that are just starting.I likealso that it shows the male and female of a type.

Great Reference
If you're looking for a book that will show you the male and female of thespecies, this is it.It gives size and tells where the birds winter.Ithas a picture of each bird and if the male and female differ in appearance,it has a picture of both.Great little book.Very reasonably priced ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Birds    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Birds & Birdwatching - Guides    4. Identification    5. Nature    6. Nature/Ecology    7. North America    8. Birds & birdwatching    9. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching    10. Zoology & animal sciences