An unusual insight into one aspect of the amazing adaptability of birds.
If you thought beaks were just for pecking, think again.
This picture book examines in piercing detail the astonishing adaptability of birds’ beaks. Twenty-one different birds from different parts of the world are illustrated to show the unique functions of each species’ beaks. The kiwi’s nostrils are located at the end of its beak to allow it to smell its food before ingesting it. The shoebill stork has a large, heavy beak ideal for crushing fish “or the occasional lizard or baby crocodile.” The common tailorbird can actually sew leaves together using spiderweb silk to make a nest, and the macaw uses its hooked beak to climb trees. The unbelievably cute Atlantic puffin uses its hinged beak (aided by spines inside its mouth) to hold a big mouthful of fish, and of course, most birds use their beaks to make their first entrance to the world out of the egg. Brightly colored collage close-ups of each bird’s head and beak adorn the spare, white pages, with brief text describing the function of each bird’s beak and a small vignette of the whole bird, showing how the bird uses its beak. A double-page diagram showing where the birds live and what they eat is included, but the maps are a bit small and unlabeled, requiring readers who are unfamiliar with world geography to seek out other sources. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at 50.1% of actual size.)
An unusual insight into one aspect of the amazing adaptability of birds. (bibliography, further reading) (Informational picture book. 7-12)Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-6041-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 28, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2020
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant.
Robot Roz undertakes an unusual ocean journey to save her adopted island home in this third series entry.
When a poison tide flowing across the ocean threatens their island, Roz works with the resident creatures to ensure that they will have clean water, but the destruction of vegetation and crowding of habitats jeopardize everyone’s survival. Brown’s tale of environmental depredation and turmoil is by turns poignant, graceful, endearing, and inspiring, with his (mostly) gentle robot protagonist at its heart. Though Roz is different from the creatures she lives with or encounters—including her son, Brightbill the goose, and his new mate, Glimmerwing—she makes connections through her versatile communication abilities and her desire to understand and help others. When Roz accidentally discovers that the replacement body given to her by Dr. Molovo is waterproof, she sets out to seek help and discovers the human-engineered source of the toxic tide. Brown’s rich descriptions of undersea landscapes, entertaining conversations between Roz and wild creatures, and concise yet powerful explanations of the effect of the poison tide on the ecology of the island are superb. Simple, spare illustrations offer just enough glimpses of Roz and her surroundings to spark the imagination. The climactic confrontation pits oceangoing mammals, seabirds, fish, and even zooplankton against hardware and technology in a nicely choreographed battle. But it is Roz’s heroism and peacemaking that save the day.
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant. (author’s note) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9780316669412
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often...
A successful juvenile by the beloved New Yorker writer portrays a farm episode with an imaginative twist that makes a poignant, humorous story of a pig, a spider and a little girl.
Young Fern Arable pleads for the life of runt piglet Wilbur and gets her father to sell him to a neighbor, Mr. Zuckerman. Daily, Fern visits the Zuckermans to sit and muse with Wilbur and with the clever pen spider Charlotte, who befriends him when he is lonely and downcast. At the news of Wilbur's forthcoming slaughter, campaigning Charlotte, to the astonishment of people for miles around, spins words in her web. "Some Pig" comes first. Then "Terrific"—then "Radiant". The last word, when Wilbur is about to win a show prize and Charlotte is about to die from building her egg sac, is "Humble". And as the wonderful Charlotte does die, the sadness is tempered by the promise of more spiders next spring.
The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often informative as amusing, and the whole tenor of appealing wit and pathos will make fine entertainment for reading aloud, too.Pub Date: Oct. 15, 1952
ISBN: 978-0-06-026385-0
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1952
PERSPECTIVES
SEEN & HEARD
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
