Birds Books

This is a very nice little book. It gives beautiful color photos of the game. There is a nice section on some beautiful dogs and a practical guide on guns and equipment.

The USA style Western USA hunting is a little different than the classical British and European style that I favor, but we can certainly all get along here.

This book was clearly done by someone who loves the birds, the dogs and a day in field.

This book reads like an introductory encyclopedia for upland game bird hunting. It gives you a very good overall view of most aspects of this type of hunt. For the novice it is perfect in that it goes through all what it entails to go upland game bird hunting, as well as covers practically all species you could hunt for. The strength is that it covers most everything - what it lacks in depth does not quite matter as other litterature is available for the one that seeks to "dig in" further. I clearly recommend this book both for the novice as well as the expert that would need a reference guide.

This is a great book for beginner upland hunters. As with all "hunting and Fishing Library" books I have read this one is well written and has incredible pictures. It has great sections on guns, tactics and techniques for finding birds and even a review of dogs suitable for upland hunting.

This quality, but inexpensive, book provides an informative overview of upland bird hunting, with chapters on shotgun basics & equipment, and separate chapters on all major North American upland birds.

The excellent photography & layout compliments the analysis of each bird species, its habitat, and how best to hunt them, as well as introducing the various hunting dog breeds.

This book should be in every upland hunter's library--novice and experienced hunter alike.

(This is another excellent book in the Hunting & Fishing Library--anyone who has read the Wild Turkey, Deer, Trout, Fly Tying, or Duck Hunting volumes will know what I'm talking about!)

Upland Game Birds (The Hunting & Fishing Library) by Dick Sternberg is such a wonderful book. Re-reading it I was reminded of when I was a kid and my Dad who was also my hero, would come home from hunting and head for the cooling room in the garage and hang the pheasants and ducks he had gotten up to age.

We would have great conversations and start talking about wildrice and mushroom stuffing and all the great dinners we would enjoy in the winter months from the game he brought home.

Dick Sternberg is such a gifted writer and reading his books you find yourself awed by the photos and graphics and like the best classes you remember from school you realize that learning can be fun as well as worthwhile.

With pheasant season just weeks away I am looking forward to trying some of the recipes in the book that I have not tried yet. And the recipes are easy to follow and do not require you to travel 50 miles to some quaint overpriced shop to buy some spice listed since everything he uses can be found at your local grocer. Unless you live in the Alaska wilderness.

My daughter brought this home from school.

It's a cute little story about an inch worm who gets out of being eaten by offering to measure stuff for the birds. He measures tails, a bill, a neck, legs, and even a hummingbird.

It works until a nightingale asks to have his song measured. What to do?

The art work is good and my daughter did look it over.

At first she was so-so to the story as she didn't understand how the inchworm measured. I showed her with my finger and she laughed.

Others have suggested this might be a tool to introduce the concept of measurement. I can see that but my daughter already had an idea from the age old method of marking her growth height on the wall.

One of my favorite 5 bookes was Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni. The reason is, is that the worm in the story is very clever and thinks his way out of a sticky situation. That is what I like about authors like Leo Lionni. They can always come up with a great little story that influences so many children in such a positive way.

A children's book about an inch worm who loves to measure things and then saves himself by measuring. The book was the 1961 Caldecott Honor book (i.e., the runner-up to the Medal winner) for best illustration in a book for children.

Once upon a time there was a cute, little, green inch worm hanging out on a piece of grass. One day, a robin came up to eat him, but the inch worm talked the robin into letting him measure the robin's tail. Being such a useful worm, the robin did not eat him, but took him to other birds so that they could have something measured by the smart inch worm. Finally, a nightingale told the worm to measure his song or he would eat the little inch worm. Using his little worm brain, the inch worm began measuring the song until he had inched away to safety.
This wonderful book, written and illustrated by Leo Lionni, won the Caldecott Honor in 1961. He has taken a little worm and made the reader fall in love with it through the worm's usefulness in measuring and his cunning ability to escape the hungry nightingale. Even though there are many different scenes, with many various shades of green on them, Lionni has illustrated the little worm in such a way that the reader can always point him out. Children would enjoy finding the worm on each page, especially at the end of the book when he is hiding from the nightingale. Also, we always see the story from an outside perspective; eye level with the grass. It is as if we are another small animal looking in on the story.
The background of each page is pretty much the same. All Lionni has illustrated on each page is the worm and the other details that are needed during that part of the story. For example, while the inch worm is measuring the legs of the heron, Lionni has only portrayed the heron with the worm inching down its leg. I think this technique is good for younger audiences because it helps children focus on the story and keeps their attention for more specific details. This also makes sense because there is a small portion of text to read on each page which means the audience does not have much time to look at the illustrations while the reader is reading to them. As for colors, Lionni has kept them realistic. For example, the flamingo is a bright pink whereas the nightingale's colors are calmer. Overall, the colors in the book make the readers feel at ease and calm. The dull greens of the grass and the open, white background keeps the reader moving along at a steady pace. It's almost as if we know that the inch worm is going to outsmart the different birds and there is no need to get over-excited.
Lionni has intertwined the illustrations and the text in a way that they are dependent on each other. Although you could get the gist of the story by either reading the text or looking at the pictures, by having the illustrations support the text, the reader gets a more detailed, visual story. However, Lionni leaves room for the imagination to add on to the story at any time.
Overall, I loved this book. Lionni has creatively illustrated this cute story, making children and adults want to read it over and over again.
If you are looking for instructional ideas, I would read this story to students in primary grades before doing a lesson on measuring. Then I would have students measure different things around the classroom including themselves. I would also use this book when talking about different types of art. I would have children do a collage or make something with decoupage. They could even re-create a scene from the book!

This Caldecott Honor Book is easy listening for the early child and the young child as a new schoolyear begins. An industrious inch worm is the main character. He engages himself with measuring a variety of birds and lastly outwits the hungry nightingale using his measuring savvy.

Teacher Note: This book can be used to introduce the young child to using standard measurement tools. It can also be used for activities with creative non-traditional measurement activities. For example: Paper clips, hands, feet, craft sticks, shoes, beans, etc. This book can be a springboard to a thematic unit on measurement. It can be extended for study of birds, other nature studies, art experiences, and musical activities as well.

I highly recommend this book, it is colorful, contains interesting facts and is written in simple language for children. A great gift for a bird lover of any age!

I purchased It's a Hummingbird's life as a gift for my mother, an avid Hummingbird lover, but found I could not give it away, my six year old loved it as much as I did. With a "wow" and a "cool" on every page, he enjoyed the factual information as much as I loved the vibrant watercolors. This book is one of those rare finds that works as a gift for children, parents, and grandparents!

My family recently visited Costa Rica where we saw many incredible hummingbirds - Since that trip, I've been searching for a children's book about hummingbirds with no success, until now. It's a Hummingbird's Life is simply stunning - the pictures as well as the writing. A welcome change from the usual dull nonfiction fare for kids. I highly recommend this book for children and adults alike. Bravo!

Irene Kelly's most recent book is a must have for any child's library - but adults will also love it. It's a Hummingbird's Life is filled with fun facts and lyrical watercolors. My daughter was thrilled to receive this gem of book, and has read it over and over. Parents will especially appreciate the tips on hummingbird gardens.

This beautiful book is filled with fun and fascinating hummingbird lore. A great choice for children who like to read facts about living creatures. My son has been recounting what he learned from Irene Kelly's book to everyone who will listen. These tiny birds are rendered in dazzling color and detail by this artist, who also has a handle on exactly what children want to know. Highly recommended!

Jack the Blackbird and Jim the Seagull are friends. They meet on a beach that is probably Fire Island. They stay up and talk all night, discovering they are friends.

Jim then invites Jack to visit him and they go sight seeing. They have a wonderful time until Jim's bigoted friends reject Jack because he is a blackbird. Jack knows Jim is really his friend when Jim tells the bigot birds that if they don't accept Jack, then they can just go fly away. In time, the bigot birds have a change of heart once they get to know Jack. They also know Jim is not a bigot and he will not support any mistreatment of his friend Jack.

What a nice story about loving acceptance. It teaches about unconditional love. Whether or not the birds are partners is not important. The message of acceptance and unconditional love is.

My son loves this book. It is a nice way to show that there are benefits to our differences and that each of us has special qualities or skills that not everybody else has. It also sets an example of real friendship in spite of what the crowd says and does.

This book is always lumped with books dealing with homosexuality, which it doesn't! It is all about acceptance, and in reading this book to my students, they picked up more on the difference between white birds (seagulls) not accepting black birds (crows). It led to a great discussion on people of color and individual differences. It does show two male birds together, but not in anything more than friendship... So read into it what you want, but the kids just didn't see that.

This book has become one of my daughter's favorite books! It's illustrations, along with the message keep her attention. The story is about two friends who experience uncomfortable feelings from a seagull colony because one (Jack) is a black bird and the other (Jim) is a seagull. I picked this up from the local library, but will purchase it for my daughter's permanent collection.

Jack and Jim charmingly tells the story of Jack, a blackbird, who comes to befriend a seagull named Jim. They meet on the beach (Fire Island?) and spend the night together, talking. The next morning, Jim takes Jack to his hometown, where Jim shows Jack the sights with his arm around his shoulder. After an exhasuting day, they spend the night together again. The next day, Jim's seagull friends reject Jack because he looks so different. Jack is thrilled when Jim tells him that if his neighbors can't accept Jack, then he won't be friends with them anymore. Later, Jack winds up winning Jim's friends over, and the formerly-nasty seagulls come to accept and value Jack. This is a sweet book about learning to respect diversity and to follow your heart. When I read the book to my three year old, he asked "Are they (Jack and Jim) partners?" Improbably, yes.

Our baby daughter loves this book. She'd ask for it every day for months. The story especially appeals to her because she enjoys dressing up and she also enjoys birds. The collage illustrations are clever and beautiful.

A children's tale about Jennie and her obsession with hats (she even sneezes "HAT-CHOO!"). The book's theme revolves around hat trimmings, a vital element in the success of any finished hat.

When purchasing a book without reading every word, there is often a drawback.
While it is a cute book, both in illustration and imaginative narrative, there is a reference to wearing a hat for "church" which may present an issue for those for whom this is not appropriate. You can always make substitutes if need be.
~I

I was thrilled to see that "Jennie's Hat" was once again available. I first "met" Jennie in the library of one of the elementary schools that I served as an art teacher. I liked the story and loved the illustrations which feature clever and colorful collages. It was the collage illustrations that led me to adapting an introductory collage lesson that I've presented to my fourth graders for years. It became a lesson that I always looked forward to as the children really enjoyed both the story (which I modified slightly to include children in the class) and the art activity derived from the story. The lesson evolved over my 32 years in elementary education but the story of "Jennie's Hat" has remained a timeless constant. I am ordering a copy of the book as a gift for my student teacher who will hopefully carry on the activity. Carl A. Hess Art Teacher Hamburg (PA) Area School District

Found this book after a recent move - in a box - with a billion other books - I haven't seen it in years - though I do remember and am grateful to find it again - Going to buy a copy for my sister (Jennie)Wonderful and joyous!!!

I found this book yesterday in my search for a 'spiritual' book for my 13 year old female cousin. I started to read it to see if it was appropriate for her and ended up reading the whole story in less than two hours. It is beautiful- my thoughts are with it today. An adult wanting a short story...get it, also it could be read outloud to a small child, it is basically an animal story. Any reader of any age would enjoy its inspiring simplicity. Hint: The powerful Falcon becomes conscious of its predatory nature and chooses not to kill. Humanity's same struggles of right and wrong begin to stir in a Falcon's thoughts.

This is truly a lovely allegory. Kara, the central character in this story is a large, powerful falcon. He is a predator by nature, devouring smaller creatures. During one attack, he swoops down on a dove. The dove begs for her life and when Kara looks into her eyes and sees her fear, he relents and releases her. From then on, Kara changes his priorities. He learns to eat berries and vegetables because he can no longer bring himself to kill another living creature. The gentle dove in turn, welcomes Kara into the woodland creatures' community where they bond and welcome even more animals of all species.

Kara is a symbol for St. Paul, the former Saul known for his persecution of Christians. The gentle dove is a symbol of the Angel who appeared to Paul and who helped him rethink his priorities and become a Christian. (The dove, long recognized as the symbol of peace is often referred to in Scripture). The woodland creatures could be the Disciples or as a Christian community of caring. The end of the book reinforces the Christian theme beautifully by describing Kara's ultimate sacrifice -- he eats Manna (communion, perhaps) and takes a swan song (falcon song) flight into the sun. At the end of his life, he is transformed into a myriad of beautiful colors that his woodland friends know as being him. It is one of best books in Christian literature. It is a heart warmer. Please read it. It will really touch your heart.

Kara, the Lonely Falcon is among the earliest writings of Joseph Girzone. This charming allegory parallels common Christian themes including mercy, sacrifice, and friendship. While it is written for young adults, it can be enjoyed by all ages.

Kara, who is a bird of prey, makes a decision. He no longer wants to use other animals for food. This comes as a shock to the other creatures of the forest. Many creatures are not convinced of the change in Kara until he protects the creatures from other birds of prey. An alliance is formed between Kara the falcon and the creatures of the forest. A conflict arises when Kara must find a new source of food. While he can eat berries during the warm season, the winter months are more problematic. The food donations of the forest creatures are not enough to maintain the large falcon. A mysterious food that resembles a flat mushroom appears near Kara's perch. This food gives Kara warm feelings which makes him want to share the food with his friends. Kara is never able to share the food with his friends because of the day in which he mysteriously disappears. However, the creatures do discover the mysterious food.

For animal lovers and fans of Christian fiction, this is a wonderful book. I can envision myself using this book as a gift for young nieces and nephews in the future.

I found this book yesterday in my search for a 'spiritual' book for my 13 year old female cousin. I started to read it to see if it was appropriate for her and ended up reading the whole story in less than two hours. It is beautiful- my thoughts are with it today. An adult wanting a short story...get it, also it could be read outloud to a small child, it is basically an animal story. Any reader of any age would enjoy its inspiring simplicity. Hint: The powerful Falcon becomes conscious of its predatory nature and chooses not to kill. Humanity's same struggles of right and wrong begin to stir in a Falcon's thoughts.

I found this book yesterday in my search for a 'spiritual' book for my 13 year old female cousin. I started to read it to see if it was appropriate for her and ended up reading the whole story in less than two hours. It is beautiful- my thoughts are with it today. An adult wanting a short story...get it, also it could be read outloud to a small child, it is basically an animal story. Any reader of any age would enjoy its inspiring simplicity. Hint: The powerful Falcon becomes conscious of its predatory nature and chooses not to kill. Humanity's same struggles of right and wrong begin to stir in a Falcon's thoughts.

My two and a half year old daughter played with this book longer than any other toy she has. This book has many ways in which it allows a child to use it's imagination. Greatly recommended!

This is a fantastic toy! It folds flat so it is good to take on a trip (but there are too many little pieces to play with on an airplane or in a car -- but it's good when you get to grandma's or the hotel.) My daughter begs to play with it. When she was two, she was a little rough on all the pieces. Now that she is three years old -- she treats it better. Since this is hard to find -- try the very similar "Maisy's Pop-Up Playhouse"

A foldable playhouse for my little girl to make up stories.The book included a Katy cat,paperdoll to dress up.It acts as a media for me to peep into her little inner world. I ordered 2 copies and shared the second copy to a boy of less than 3 years old.When I received the parcel I thought the book would be too sissy for him and expected to exchange for him.Unexpectedly, he loves the book and thank for my recommendation.

A real mailslot with letters to put through it; a sandbox that converts to a pool;changing weather; outdoors and indoors; ties to close the "book".... Delightful!

We received this playhouse as a birthday gift for my three-year old son. I was pleasantly surprised to see that he really enjoys playing with the characters and making up stories about them (delivering mail, having a picnic, going shopping). In a minimum of space he gets all the play experience he could get from a space-consuming dollhouse. Please note: this playhouse folds down easily to the size of a hardcover book with great storage areas for all the accessories.

This is an excellent book, but is more advanced than I, as an animal rehabber, can use. Our members with a nursing, microbiology background really like it.

I'm very satisfied with my item; I'm very happy to have bought from amazon because it was very fast in sending and the item was very neat

Because is a good book about avian and exotic pets

This book provides a solid reference on common clinicopathological features of Birds, Reptiles, rabbits and ferrets, although the title misleads us to believe that other popular exotic species would be covered. The avian section is pretty comparable to other sources, but the reptile section is very unique to this book. The reptile section could benefit from more specific chapters on more diseases, as opposed to only the "LIVER AND GI" (which is mostly liver), Renal and Reproductive. In order for this info to be useful, one has to use the book after having an index of suspicion of a certain disease process and see if the data fits the book's discussions (as opposed to being able to look up differentials for certain enzyme elevations).

Section 3, on ferrets and rabbits, is also very comparable to other published books. I reccommend this book as an adjunct to others in your private library, but not as the sole source of information on this subject.

This is an excellent, excellent reference. It is a "must have" lab guide for anyone who treats birds. It provides state of the art information on Avian Laboratory tests and their interpretation.

It is also very good for as a reference for exotic species. There are a number of other contributers to various sections in this book. They are all well known experts in their field.

In this every changing world, this book provides leading edge information.

Mr.VanFranknhuzen was in our area schools in Clinton Township for 5 days this spring and used his wonderful books as lessons for the children to draw. He was so good with the kids the time just flew. One of the things he shared with us was about the "secrets" of the Loon book. He told us how much fun he had painting hidden loons in almost all the paintings and the children as well as the adults had fun trying to find them all. I don't think we succeeded but we're still looking. The magical story in combination with the beautiful paintings are a joy to read and see. We wait anxiously for your next legend. Thank you.

My mother-in-law loves loons! This book was perfect because it is about grandmas and loons. I would not suggest this book for the baby-preschool level... This is really a book that is written for the 4-12 yr old range. (4-6 if you are reading it to them and 6-12 if they are reading it for themselves.)

Great revelation! Grandmothers throughout the world should be such a guardian for their precious children. Warms my heart, and passes on great love from one generation to the next. Outstanding prose and melodic writing, great for young and old.

I read this story to my grandchildren today, and they loved it! We live on a lake where loons nest, and their call has always captivated us. I don't think I have ever heard a more beautiful tale that this one! My grandchildren are now calling every loon they see "grandmother lom". This story will be read again and again.

The legend of the Loon by Kathy-Jo Wargin is another one of her great legends. Although it doesn't specifically mention Michigan it certainly could be. The grandmother becomes concerned when her grandchildren go out in a boat and are late coming back. The children are lost and finally find their way back by following the loon. Grandma turned into the loon to show them the way back to safety. Great for older kids, although our younger ones enjoy the story as well.

This is a really cute book about people coming together and not just about adoption (altho, that is why I bought it..). Great to find a book about a father and a child! We are enjoying it very much! Thanks!

We checked this book out at the library and decided we needed to own it. It is a wonderful book about a goose wanting to be a father and the "green goose" searching for his "real" mother after discovering he looked different. He realizes he has a wonderful father and goes back home. It's great for adopted children.

Wonderful book covering so many subjects in a short entertaining time. Father goose longs for a child, and adopts a very strange egg. After the little green goose is born, the baby chicks tease saying thats not really your mommy, you dont look anything alike. The little green goose goes around trying to find out who he looks like and then becomes lonely and returns home, realizing home is where you are loved. Great book for adoptive fathers. Also for those involved in transracial adoption. The story illustrates a fathers love and caring, the idea that families do not need to look alike, and all this is done with a tale that is good for its own sake. The illustrations are superb, my favorite is the final one, this great big green dinosaur-like creature (the little green goose) with the father goose laying on top of his head, one wing stretched out protectively over his child and both fast asleep.

This book is great for all parents of adopted children. This book grabbed the attention of my child, and he was entirely enthused through the whole reading and just absorbed it all. Two thumbs up for this great write!

You could hardly do better than to get "The Little Green Goose" for any father, whether adoptive or biological. Adele Sansone's text is a miracle of economy, covering parenthood, adoption, geneaology, and more with a minimum of fuss and text.

The barnyard goose decides that he wants to be a father, but as he has no wife or other partner, he decides to adopt a spooky looking green egg found by the dog at the edge of a field. The goose settles himself on top of the eggs and waits and waits. When the egg finally cracks open, what emerges is some sort of lizard or dinosaur or who knows what--but it definitely is not a goose. Still, Sansone's goose dad utterly ignores the differences between himself and his new son and makes a natural (and skillful) parent. When the "green goose" decides to try to figure out what his real background is, he has little luck and ends up coming home to the goose--who, after all, is the only parent he's ever known.

The illustrations, by Alan Mark, are utterly charming. The "green goose" is splotched and splashed with color, while the goose is drawn sparingly and convincingly. This is, overall, a fun tale with subtle and valuable life lessons.