THERE’S A HUMMINGBIRD IN MY BACKYARD

A pair of Anna’s hummingbirds nest in the Bakers’ backyard, offering Kelly’s family an opportunity for feeding, watching and learning about hummingbird behavior. The threat of jays and other predators provides suspense for the slim fictional scaffolding. Readers and listeners will learn about hummingbird courtship flights, nest construction, feeding and chick-rearing habits. There’s some humor as the female swoops down to steal dog hair for her nest and later flies through the spray of a garden hose. Despite anthropomorphism in the language (“mama” and “babies”), the science is accurate and applies to hummingbirds across the country, not just this West Coast species. Bogue, a former curator at a wildlife museum, includes a recipe for hummingbird feeder water but neglects the bacteria-killing boiling step. Todd’s watercolor-and-ink illustrations vary in size and placement on the page, carrying the reader along. The paintings realistically depict these tiny birds, though the scale in some may be confusing and they are less than successful in their depictions of the human characters. This is a worthy companion to There’s an Opossum in My Backyard (2007) by this California-based author-illustrator pair. (Informational picture book. 5-9)