Backyard Birding for Kids
Grade 4-8–Lee's mundane illustrations and problematic text combine to provide an ineffective presentation. Divided into three sections, the book includes the why, how, and where of bird watching and how to encourage birds to visit one's backyard and other locations, followed by suggestions of what to wear and take on a birding trip. The best parts are the discussion of field marks and the two explanatory pages that follow, because a bird's distinctive markings added to correct terminology supply all the clues needed to identify the species. The second part is comprised of six sections: city, woodland, country, wetland, seashore, and desert birds. A short summary of the habitat is followed by six poorly drawn examples that lack sufficient detail. Without a range map of where the bird can be found, readers will not know, for example, that they won't find a cardinal on the West coast. Some of the activities, especially Your Bird-Watching Notebook, are inspiring, despite the dull illustrations, but beware of Ted's Bird Shelf; under materials needed, it lists a hand or power saw (no safety precautions included) and screws (but no screwdriver). The final section is made up of miscellaneous subjects: an alphabetical list of state birds; care of baby birds; groups to join; and recommended books, most of which are too adult for this book's readership. Jonathan P. Latimer and Karen Stray Nolting'sBackyard Birds(Houghton, 1999) gives children just the right amount of information to identify birds, using the best in photography and Roger Tory Peterson's famous illustrations.–Nancy Call, Santa Cruz Public Libraries, Aptos, CACopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.