Review by Booklist Review
K-Gr. 3. This colorful book covers the basics of classroom-oriented owl science: type of bird, variety of owls in North America, parts of the body, behaviors, life cycle, and need for protection. From the eye-catching jacket to the closing page of fast facts, Gibbons certainly understands her audience: what they will need to know and what they will find interesting. More narrative in approach than the rest of the book, the life cycle section follows a mated pair of owls as they build their nest, tend their eggs, and raise their young. Though the background paintings of the night skies get a little murky at times, the colorful illustrations are effective, particularly at a little distance. --Carolyn Phelan Copyright 2005 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 3-Gibbons's nonfiction picture books are brought to life complete with sound effects in these charming read-alongs. Each book focuses on one animal, with detailed descriptions of habitats, food, and life cycles along with definitions and occasional pronunciations of terms associated with the animals. Along with this abundance of information, there are colorful illustrations to accompany the text. Employing a different narrator for each title adds variety. During Polar Bears, for example, narrator Dion Graham leaves time for the listener to look at a map. The narrators also read all the captions for the pictures, which can become tedious on some pages, but the occasional background music adds to the atmosphere. These will be a welcome addition to any library collection.-Elizabeth Elsbree, Krug Elementary School, Aurora, IL (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
This well-organized introduction to owls describes their distinguishing features, including sharp talons, keen hearing and eyesight, and the ability to fly silently--all of which they use to catch prey. Attentive illustrations help readers identify the various species, from the tiny, desert-dwelling elf owl to the great gray, the largest owl in North America. Additional facts are appended. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Gibbons cranks out yet another serviceable but barely interesting volume and this time she's chosen a topic that could be quite fascinating. First, she offers a basic description; next, several pages of physical characteristics--some, but not all, with subtitles; then a more specific account of barn owls raising young; finally, the requisite nod to environmental issues, with illustrations of bad men cutting down trees. The text limps ("It is believed that there are 21 different kinds of owls living in North America") and the pictures support but don't improve it. In fact, on the double-paged spread that shows a variety of owls, one would be hard pressed to see the differences in the rather smeary and sometimes too small illustrations. Worst of all, Gibbons makes no attempt to tell a story or to do much more than list the facts. Encyclopedias engage the reader more effectively, as does the Internet. Schools and libraries have many better options (Jim Arnosky's All About Owls (1995), for instance) for this topic. (Picture book/nonfiction. 4-8) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
