Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Via avian trivia and technical illustrations in cut-paper collage, the longtime collaborators (The Shark Book) invite browsers to a visually jaunty, loosely organized compendium positioned for budding bird nerds. The late Jenkins assembles paper snipped and torn into naturalistic portraits of some of the world's 10,000-plus bird species: a blue-gray shoebill stork with its massive sand-colored beak, a pileated woodpecker clinging to a tree, a speckled Humboldt penguin leaving a trail of bubbles in mottled blue seawater, and extinct "ancient giants," including a terror bird, teratorn, and moa. A labeled American robin models bird basics, including hollow bones for lightweight flight, a multipurpose bill, and feathery insulation. Double spreads spotlight single specimens in a shared space against a clean white backdrop, a format that lends itself to uncontextualized captions. General notes reveal that flocks "sense the Earth's magnetic field" to migrate and "see ultraviolet light" that humans don't; like many species, "sandhill cranes choose a mate for life." A four-page fine-print appendix details covered birds' "size, diet, and range." Meticulous collages are the star attraction of a catalog that recommends learning "as much as we can about these remarkable creatures" in order to help birds survive. Ages 6--10. (Dec.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 1--5--This book is all readers have come to expect from this pair. The bold and detailed illustrations pop out from the stark white backgrounds, surrounded by informational text laid out in a handwritten-style font. The information starts with the general approach--"What is a Bird?"--and continues through anatomical features, senses, flight, and their evolution from dinosaurs. How they nest, feed, defend themselves, and migrate is all included, as is a discussion of the modern environmental stresses on birds. As with the previous books, this one is jam-packed with comprehensive information and fun facts alike. A table in the back of the book outlines the size, diet, and range of all the birds represented in the book. It's high quality in illustration and information presented. VERDICT Purchase for school and public library nonfiction collections and wherever the team's previous work has been well received.--Jennifer Noonan
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A populous, cut-paper portrait gallery of avian species present…and past. The authors make clear throughout that despite birds' great antiquity, they are currently under threat from habitat loss and other factors, but as usual it's the late Jenkins' spectacularly realistic collage illustrations that sound the loudest notes. Following an opening sequence showing a kingfisher in flight and a close-up of a king vulture's head that is a burst of vivid colors and textures, gorgeously feathered subjects parade past in profusion--in close-ups to display distinctive feet, beaks, and eyes or in full-body poses alongside nests, eggs, and prey. Pithy captions tucked between and around the images largely cover familiar territory in noting typical features and behaviors but do discuss some unusual feats such as the European robin's ability to sense magnetic fields and the cave-dwelling oilbird's use of echolocation. Prehistoric predecessors gather on one topical spread, flightless birds on another, and a final page of recently extinct species underscores the conservation message. A closing table listing each of the dozens of birds depicted serves as both index and factual summary. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Another feather in the veteran co-authors' cap. (further reading, websites) (Informational picture book. 7-9) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
