Look Up! Bird-Watching in Your Own Backyard

Author: Annette LeBlanc Cate
Publisher: Candlewick, 2013
Age Range: Grades 2-6
Lexile: 810L
ISBN: 9780763645618





This book arrived at my school library as the May 2013 Junior Library Guild selection for Science Nonfiction Elementary.  It is as attractive and entertaining as it is informative.  Primarily, this book is procedural, guiding young people through the steps necessary to begin a birdwatching hobby.  The book is also heavily explanatory, with information about the characteristics and behaviors of specific bird species.  For example, the "Shapes Are Clues" page shows silhouettes of many different birds either perched or in flight.  The captions identify the birds and provide explanations such as. "The Turkey Vulture is famous for flying in a V shape, called a dihedral" (pg. 15).  The reader is exposed to content-specific vocabulary while learning about the characteristics that make individual bird species unique.

The illustrations are beautifully done in ink and watercolor.  While all of the birds are drawn in the technical style of a nature sketchbook, many are given cartoonish features and speech bubbles to contribute jokes and commentary.  These birds give the book a playful and conversational feel.  The talking birds have expressive eyes and make humanlike gestures, such as the cardinal wringing its hands (wings) and expressing pity for the brown birds- "Oh, look at all the poor dears, the color of dirt! So sad for them!" (pg. 13).  While the cardinal is anthropomorphized, the brown birds that it is referring to are all drawn very realistically.

Cate's book is packed with helpful features from start to finish.  The endpapers are fully illustrated and provide lists of equipment needed for bird-watching, bird-watching do's and don'ts, and tips for bird drawing.  Cate acknowledges that bird-watching is her hobby and she is not an expert in the field of ornithology.  She gives credit to Jim Barton, a veteran birder, for technical assistance.  She also provides a bibliography of bird books and field guides.  A table of content and index help direct readers to specific areas of interest.

After reading Cate's book about bird-watching, middle-grade children will want to grab a sketchbook and head outside to look for birds.  Here are some companion pieces that could make their venture more rewarding.

• National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America
• The Laws Guide to Drawing Birds
• Audubon Birds app

Annette LeBlanc Cate recommends the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's website in her book.  You can search this online guide to learn all about the birds in your backyard!

Several pages of Look Up! Bird Watching in Your Own Backyard are shown in its Amazon Preview.