Birds Books

The text follows the movie script. The illustrations are great. It is fun to read.

Excellent. If you did or did not see the movie Happy Feet this is a treasure. It tells the whole story of Happy Feet. Pictures are all so cute. Tells the movie perfectly.

My three-year-old grandson loves the movie "Happy Feet". When I saw this book, I knew he would love it too. However, when it arrived, I was amazed at the quality. The pictures come right from the movie and the story is carefully condensed without losing the integrity of the movie. My grandson looked at the pictures and told me what was happening in each one because they follow the movie exactly. This is one of the books that he will keep all his life and share with his own children some day.

Mumble is a great name for this penguin, and the story does send the message to be true to yourself. Kids need to hear this and recognize that their differences are special gifts. It was wonderful to watch children dancing their own happy dances after hearing this story. The movie is also great and pleasing that the message is "happy" and not violent or cynical.

Rayna Gangi, author, "Forget The Cures, Find The Cause."

I read this to my Kdg students. They noticed there weren't any quotaions marks in the text..yea for them! They wondered why and would like to write to the author! help!! what a great language activity!

This book serves two purposes. Young children love to have it read to them. Older children like the humor of Minerva Louise's judgement errors. It's a very enjoyable book, ages 2 to 10.

The story of a resourceful, independent, persistent hen, told with a sense of humor. Nice short book with good illustrations. A perfect story to read on a snowy day. My 2.5 y.o loves to hear it again and again.

Such a simple little story with a winsome little heroine. After meeting her in a bookstore I fell hopelessly in love. I will admit that visually she struck me to the heart and of course there is her name. My granddaughter reads about her adventures every night and she understands that even though she gets to hear the stories the books are still Grandma's. If she is properly respectful of Minerva Louise I will pass her along one day. Not yet. This charming little hen must stay with me for a while

Very few pages - but the pages are great. My son loves to handle and flip the pages.

Love this basic picture book! Nice bright colors and simple drawings.
The best part is I can wash it out in the sink and it's made with non-toxic inks. This is one book I can feel good about giving to my young daughter and letting her chew on!

A wonderful book with lots of bright large simple drawings of farm animals and equipment done on soft cloth pages that our baby loves to read and hold herself.

Research shows that simple images are best for young children who may be overwhelmed by too many pictures at once, and this book contains one simple image on each page. Our daughter is 6 months old and this book is by far her favorite. In addition to turning pages, she can grab the book, squish it, and--most important for her--suck on it. It's made with non-toxic inks and is hand-washable. I recommend all three books in this series by Lucy Cousins.

(update 2 1/2 years later: she still LOVES books, and I'm convinced that this early exposure was formative in teaching her that "books are fun," even though she had outgrown the books by around 1 year)

Henrietta photographed very well. The story and photographs draw you into her world so much that I was delighted to imagine how fun it would be to watch her as she goes about her day. A lovely little gift that any child will enjoy because they love animals and there is... something about a chicken. Vicky

This book was very well written and illustrated..All children can follow this chicken and her adventures..We need more innovation in childrens literature..Well done ARLA

Tom and Rhonda ,Medford,Oregon

This is a great story in a format suitable as a gift or just for pleasure!

This is a very special book, because it brings an air of magic into a true story. Henrietta and Dan are real, and they are friends who know each other well. They seem to have a way of communicating with each other, even though Dan is human and Henrietta is a chicken. Their interactions seem a bit fantastic, but, again, they are real. The pictures are real photos, perfect for the book.

I hope that there will be further adventures with Henrietta and Dan!

When I first picked up this book after hearing excellent reviews I was a little disappointed. It seemed skimpy, only 140 pages with larger print and generous spacing on the pages. After reading it and using some of the techniques and guidelines for owling described in the pages I changed my mind. This book is filled with gems on how to find owls, the behavior and biology of the Owls of North America and excellent photographs of all the species. I even used one of the photos to help a taxadermist model a window killed Boreal Owl from our area.

The authors Pat and Clay Sutton have decades of experience with their passion of finding owls and have lectured across the country on their experiences. They've packed the book with information on finding owl roosts, finding evidence of owls in the field, the strategies and ethics of luring in owls with calls and tapes, identifying probable owl habitats, and listing some of the best places in the country for finding resident and migrant owls such as Whitefish Point, Michigan and Braddock Bay, New York for Saw-whet Owls.

Although this book is not an in depth treatment of the biology of Owls it is a great reference for most birders hoping to find and learn more about owls anywhere in the US and Canada.

If I had only one book to buy about owls, this one is it. It is a howling success!

Owls are unique and fascinating, but, unfortunately, also quite elusive, which makes their observation quite frustrating for the beginning birder. This guide was written--reluctantly--to lessen some of that frustration. Reluctantly, because, while the authors wish to indroduce the owl to new generations of birders, at the same time they are very concerned about adverse influence that birders can have on owls. The book consists of two parts: an introduction to birding for owls, and the owls of North America. In the latter, each species that is found in North America is discussed to some degree. While the Whiskered Screech Owl, which only occurs near the Mexican-American border in southern Arizon, only has two paragraphs devoted to it, other species are covered by a number of pages. Information is largely anecdotal and easy to read. At least one photograph of most species is included, the quality of which is usually excellent.

I originally got this book when I found a trio of young screech owls in my favorite river area. It gives a lot of information that is USEFUL to people who really want to see owls. Kinds of owls, signs of owls to look for, crisp b/w photos, and some common sense ettiquette. Good book!

Awesome book. Received quickly and in perfect condition. Thank you so very much!! Peggy Bender

Um livro bastante técnico, exelente para biólogos e/ou ornitólogos.As informações são muito completas principalmente no que se refere às variações de plumagens que ocorrem dentro das mesmas espécies( machos, fêmeas e filhotes).Exelentes informações sobre a distribuição geográfica das espécies.

I'm now able to correctly identiful many species of Hummingbirds. Great source of information. Very detailed book.

This is a very useful book for birders who want to be able to identify hummingbirds in the U.S. It includes photos and accompanying text for every hummingbird that you are likely (or lucky enough) to spot within U.S. borders. The text is particularly good, and the photos are shown large enough to be of use to the beginner/intermediate birdwatcher in addition to the experienced observer.

I Can Be has introduced my 2-year-old son to the relaxation and fun to be found in yoga. He requests it often! The poem is easy to recall without having the book in hand, and we enjoy the vibrant, colorful illustrations. Thanks to the author for providing such a positive way for my son to focus his (endless!) energy.

Both my grandsons ages 3 and 4 have received this book as a gift. .. and they take it everywhere the go. . .they love to look at the colors and do the different poses. ..they love to have it read to them over and over. . .the book is very colorful and easily followed. . .it has become one of their favorite books

What a fantastic book! Not only is it a nice introduction to yoga, but it is also a fun exercise in reading comprehension. My kids can physically act out each part of the poem as we read along. This is ideal for kinetic learners. Its small size make it handy to stash in your purse for those times when you and your kids are waiting in a doctor's office, airport etc..

Just the other day, my friend and I were talking about how many popular press books on yoga were available and how few of them were of really high quality. No worries with this book! The author, Christine Sumner, knows what she's talking about as a Registered Yoga Teacher by the Himalayan Institute Teachers Association.

Little ones will enjoy the illustrations: one each page, there is a little guy in the pose and on the opposite page, there is the animal (or tree) in the same pose. The reading section with each pose is not overwhelming and is, in fact, a poem throughout the book. The two-year-old and four-year-old little guys in my life enjoyed reading along and trying the poses.

Fortunately, there is also a short section for caregivers on how to implement each pose and even how to modify poses to be less challenging. This is a great idea if the caregivers are new to yoga.

Indeed, a whimsical, yet well-done, introduction to yoga!

This book is awesome! If you love hummingbirds, you'll love this book!!! Hi gloss pages are *extra* nice. You'll like it.

I have been looking for a copy of this book for a very long time...its a wonderful book and very well illustrated. Would like information on how I may find a copy.

This is a beautiful coffee table book, filled with full-page illustrations of hummingbirds: some familiar, some fantastical, some, sadly, now extinct. Not just for hummingbird lovers. Anyone with an interest in nature will be delighted by some of these astonishingly wacky creatures. Each illustration is accompanied by a few concise paragraphs about the birds.

As many may know, John Gould(with the help of many) produced 418 hand coloured stone lithograph plates for his Monograph of the Hummingbirds which took 12 years to produce(1849-61). An original set sold recently for 1/4million dollars! At approx $100, this book gives a great deal of art bang for the buck! Albeit, the format is smaller and the exquisite hand coloring is lost to modern printing reproduction, it's a joy to own. Individual original plates are available at antique print shops($700-$2000 ea) and this book is your excellent reference for an contemplated purchase.

John Philip Duck is a delightful story of a "dream come true". A story to share with children about dreams and just what happens when you work hard for something. And when children realize this is a true story it is exciting to them. Wonderful illustrations from Patricia Polacco to enhance the great story. This calls for a trip to Memphis with the grandkids.

This is a terrific book all the way around--message, creativity, illustrations. Patricia Polacco has done it again--what a wonder she is!

Patricia Polacco often imbues her fabulous children's books with social commentary (e.g., racial and religious prejudice, intergenerational differences, the challenges of being different, the importance of diversity and acceptance), but there's never been a Patricia Polacco book with so much contrast between the manifest and latent content.

Outwardly, and as your children or young audience will probably experience it, the book's American dream motif features Edward, a young African-American teen growing up during the Depression who finds and trains a stray duck found on his family's farm in Memphis. He sneaks it into the hotel where he and his father work, and the hotel employees keep the duck's presence a secret. However, when the hotel manager finds the duck swimming with some "decoy" ducks (there for an upcoming duck hunt) in the hotel fountain, he gives young Edward 30 days to train all the ducks to march to the fountain each day, stay there swimming, and then duly leave in the evening. Because of his determination, the ducks succeed, and the Edward man gets his wish of a shiny uniform--similar to what his hero John Philip Sousa might have worn. It's a very good story with familiar Polacco elements: The triumph of the underdog, the resolution of conflict seeded in race, class, and age, and the fun, loopy drawings.

However, this book is unusual--and noteworthy--for the subtle yet direct hits on the nasty and virulent social climate of that time. Polacco's illustrations of the somewhat ramshackle farm are benignly pastoral in sharp contrast to her portrayal of the Memphis hotel. The relatively wealthy white patrons and manager clientele are distorted rather than "loopy," with an appearance of corpulence and a suggestion of piggish consumption. The heavy makeup adds to this general air of decadence, and the pictures are almost grotesque, reminiscent of George Grosz, the German Expressionist artist and master of class-based social criticism.

The stocky, stern Mr. Schutt becomes a much more callous and dangerous man, evolving from a curmudgeonly but "good" manager who calls Edward "my boy," to a threatening, gun-toting representative of the ruling class who later just uses the pejorative "boy." And the reward? A shiny uniform--instead of firing his two employees in the middle of the Depression. Lest you think I am exaggerating, note how the hunters (who enter the hotel with their live "decoy ducks," designed to attract ducks that the hunters will kill) are all white, as are the guests here in the segregated South, the head chef, and the clerk, the first-line representative of the hotel.

Whether she intended it or not, Polacco lets a sinister underside slip through the warmth of her story, and there is a sleight of hand in her illustrations and narrative: Now it's a gentle story about a young man's dream--now it's a parable about the ugly side of human nature in general, and the beginnings of Depression era fanaticism in particular. This is an interesting and provocative story that will evoke varying reactions from its readers. Suitable for young children, and, on a different level, for their parents as well.

To get their family through the financial constraints of The Great Depression, Edward Pembroke and his father both hold jobs at the Peabody Hotel in town. Young Edward has two passions: keeping time with John Philip Sousa marches, and watching the wild ducks fly over his native Tennessee hills. When one duckling appears to be lost, Edward adopts him as his own and takes care of him ... even insisting upon taking the little guy to work. The hotel staff help Edward hide his pet from Mr. Schutt, the hotel manager. When the secret leaks out and Mr. Schutt demands an explanation, Edward demonstrates how he has trained the duck to march and maneuver to Sousa marches. Mr. Schutt is impressed but gives Edward a test project: just one month to train a whole flock of ducks to march to the hotel lobby fountain and to swim there all day. Of such stuff are legends born! Edward succeeds and becomes the Duckmaster of the Peabody Hotel, and the flock is led by his first adoptee, now dubbed John Philip Duck.

Patricia Polacco's illustrations are deceptively simple yet vibrantly rich. They look as if one of us has colored in someone else's freehand line drawings -- until you see the outlines of the glasses on the tablecloth and the shadows of the china on the wall. The hills around the Pembroke house look as wild as the high-class Peabody Hotel is distinguished. The pictures match the storyline.

This colorful and entertaining book should amuse both children and adults. And if you've never witnessed the twice-daily Peabody mallard march, you may have to schedule a trip to Memphis after reading this fictionalized explanation. Seeing is believing!

I loved this book and all of Bill Peet's work as a kid and now having grown up I still find myself in love with his illustrations as well as his story lines. A book i will hopefully have the pleasure of reading to my kids someday.

It was totally cool! It was funny too! I'm so glad Quentin escaped Jed's nasty peck! Jed was so fat and mean, I think its so amazing that bill peet used so much rhyming!

We love Bill Peet! The Kweeks are funny and brave, cowardly and complacent; some of the same things I see in myself. But bravery and a need to do things differently save the day. So when I say "We love Bill Peet", my kids love this story and I love the way this book shows the bully becoming isolated and the friend who work together having everything they need.

Quentin, a little kweek, takes a stand against big queek Jed, whose been greedily, hogging the delictable ploppolops fruit on the jungle island of Kookatumdee. Quentin rallies his little fellow kweeks for support, but faces his adversary alone, and saves the day for his friends.