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WORLD WITHOUT BIRDS

Name: WORLD WITHOUT BIRDS
Author: Nick Lund
ISBN: 9781523518029

HOW TO SAVE OUR PLANET, ONE BIRD AT A TIME

by Nick Lund ; illustrated by Asia Orlando ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 3, 2026

Broad in scope but lacks the eloquence or urgency to spark much concern.

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In many ways our planet is for the birds, Lund argues—which is why severe recent declines in their populations mark an ominous trend.

Describing dozens of feathered residents occupying seven habitats from deserts to islands and open oceans, the author demonstrates that everywhere on Earth humans have gone, birds have, too—and they got there first. Unfortunately, that “everywhere-ness” hasn’t prevented avian populations from dropping once we arrived, all too often to the point of extinction. But Lund’s vague warnings of the severe likely consequences of their disappearance, from an insect “apocalypse” to general ecosystem collapse, are so thoroughly buried in standard-issue descriptions of selected species, their adaptations to particular habitats, and examples of extinction and reclamation that he seems to have lost track of his announced topic; “World With Birds” would be a more appropriate title. Though this work is a companion to Mark Kurlansky’s World Without Fish (2011), the prose isn’t nearly as compelling. Vivid wildlife photos or images like those found in other bird surveys might have made up for the ordinary prose, but Orlando’s sparse spot art and portraits of drab avian subjects seem more like afterthoughts than effective visual hooks. Rare groups of human figures are racially diverse. For those looking to make a difference, Lund closes with activities, organizations, and potential careers to pursue.

Broad in scope but lacks the eloquence or urgency to spark much concern. (Nonfiction. 11-13)

Pub Date: March 3, 2026

ISBN: 9781523518029

Page Count: 176

Publisher: Workman

Review Posted Online: April 6, 2026

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2026

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

- BOOK REVIEW
DINOSAURS TO CHICKENS
by Nick Lund ; illustrated by Lucy Rose

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THUNDER ON THE PLAINS

THE STORY OF THE AMERICAN BUFFALO

by Ken Robbins & illustrated by Ken Robbins ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 2001

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“In 1875 there were perhaps fifty million of them. Just twenty-five years later nearly every one of them was gone.” The author of many nonfiction books for young people (Bridges; Truck; Giants of the Highways, etc.) tells the story of the American bison, from prehistory, when Bison latifrons walked North America along with the dinosaurs, to the recent past when the Sioux and other plains Indians hunted the familiar bison. Robbins uses historic photographs, etchings, and paintings to show their sad history. To the Native Americans of the plains, the buffalo was central to their way of life. Arriving Europeans, however, hunted for sport, slaughtering thousands for their hides, or to clear the land for the railroad, or farmers. One telling photo shows a man atop a mountain of buffalo skulls. At the very last moment, enough individuals “came to their senses,” and worked to protect the remaining few. Thanks to their efforts, this animal is no longer endangered, but the author sounds a somber note as he concludes: “the millions are gone, and they will never come back.” A familiar story, well-told, and enhanced by the many well-chosen period photographs. (photo credits) (Nonfiction. 10-12)

Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2001

ISBN: 0-689-83025-4

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Atheneum

Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2000

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

- BOOK REVIEW
FOR GOOD MEASURE
by Ken Robbins & photographed by Ken Robbins

- BOOK REVIEW
HOW MANY CATS?
by Lauren Thompson and illustrated by Ken Robbins

- BOOK REVIEW
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
by Ken Robbins & photographed by Ken Robbins

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ANTARCTIC JOURNAL

by Meredith Hooper & illustrated by Lucia deLeiris ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 2001

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Here is an adventure in a unique setting. The lively text and lovely watercolors document three and a half months of a summer the artist and author spent at the South Pole, as part of the National Science Foundation Antarctic Artists & Writers Program. Hooper describes everyday life aboard the research ship Laurence M. Gould, a sturdy orange icebreaker that scientists use to travel between the islands to study the wide variety of animals who come each year to breed and raise their young. An assortment of penguins, elephant seals, giant petrels, huge skuas, and leopard seals hold center stage. Scientists are less important than the serious business of successfully raising young in the short summer season. The author captures the drama of the ice-cold ocean, alive with life: “Swarms of barrel-shaped blue-tinged salps, stuck together in floating chains. Minute creatures with red eyes. Sliding through the water in a curving path like a ribbon.” The artist provides striking paintings of the landscape and the animals in soft washy colors, and quick pencil sketches. The ice is lemon gold with mauve shadows, and the sea a silver gray in the 24-hour day. Animals are expressive and individual. The krill, the tiny shrimp-like creatures that form the backbone of the ocean food chain, appear in luminous glory. The author concludes with a page on global warming, a map of the islands visited, and an index. From cover to cover a personal and informative journey. (Nonfiction. 7-12)