RED KNOT

One of the unhappy stories of our changing environment is the near-extinction of a once innumerable population of Red Knots visiting the Delaware and New Jersey shore each spring. Without personifying the bird at all, but including an episode of banding that gives the bird an identity, the author of this welcome book follows one Red Knot from its home, Tierra del Fuego, north to its breeding grounds near the Arctic Circle, clearly introducing the species and explaining this story to young readers. Carefully delineated drawings, beginning with a map on the title page, depict this incredible journey in colorful double-page spreads that illustrate the birds so accurately that a birder can easily identify the other shorebirds pictured as well—and notice that the list of pictured birds omits the oystercatchers. The backmatter also includes further information, a glossary and acknowledgements, but no sources or index. This is both a pleasure to look at and a source of useful information for classes studying ecology, birds or seasonal changes in the world. (Picture book/nonfiction. 6-10)