Explore featured applied science titles on sale. The Bedside Book of Birds: An Avian Miscellany In this intriguing, beautifully illustrated volume, Canadian writer and birder Gibson (Five Legs) employs poems, folk tales, parables, legends, and extracts from the works of naturalists and others to explore humans' relationship with birds through the centuries. Some of the material—Peter Matthiessen's tribute to shorebirds, Edna St. Vincent Millay's poem about wild swans, Thomas Hardy's ode to a darkling thrush—reflect the joy many people feel on seeing or hearing a bird. But a number of the pieces, such as Robinson Jeffers's wrenching poem about a hurt hawk, Gabriel García Márquez's story involving sinister curlews and Kafka's threatening fantasy about a vulture, do not make the best bedtime reading. Numerous selections dwell on the human propensity for killing, exploitation and cruelty, as exemplified by a grisly passage describing the slaughter of a flock of terrified birds from Gibson's novel Perpetual Motion.
See and discover other items: city birds National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Birds (National Geographic Little Kids First Big Books)DetailsNational Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of the Ocean (National Geographic Little Kids First… FREE Shipping on orders over . DetailsNational Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Animals (National Geographic Little Kids First Big… From School Library Journal PreS-Gr 3—Parents, teachers, and curious children will be fascinated by this excellent introduction to birds. The chapter divisions reflect the features and behavior of a broad range of birds. End-of-chapter games and interactive questions encourage children to personally engage with the subject matter, while the "Parent Tips" section provides activity ideas and further resources. Sidebars with basic information about specific avian species also show the scale of those birds by depicting the animals next to a child's hand. Subject headings, a wealth of fact boxes, a glossary, and an index make this a great choice for teaching nonfiction text features.
Use a small section for read-alouds or storytime and then encourage children to pore over the pages on their own. VERDICT Lush nature photography, concise language, a large print size, and a browsable layout: this offering is ideal for home, school, and library use.—Rachel Anne Mencke, St. Matthew's Parish School, Pacific Palisades, CA "You will have a hard time keeping this book on the shelf because children and adults alike will want to take this book home!" —School Library Connection. Age Range: 4 - 8 years Lexile Measure: 800 (What's this?) Series: National Geographic Little Kids First Big Books Publisher: National Geographic Children's Books (July 12, 2016) 10.2 x 0.6 x 10.2 inches Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies) #7,856 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) in Books > Children's Books > Animals > Birds 5 star89%4 star7%3 star2%2 star1%1 star1%See all verified purchase reviewsTop Customer ReviewsContent wonderful - binding, awful|
Great book, cheap print job|Perfect for my curious 6 year old daughter!| Would be a great book if the pages didn't all fall out.|Great info about Earth!|My 8 year old|and 3) love it. It has very bright and colorful pictures ...|My son has never had a problem with a book like this one| National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of the Ocean (National Geographic Little Kids First Big Books) National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Animals (National Geographic Little Kids First Big Books) Birds, Nests & Eggs (Take Along Guides) National Geographic Kids Bird Guide of North America See and discover other items: book for first grade, books for second grade, city birds, second grade book, second grade readers1. North American Hummingbirds: An Identification Guide By George C. West University of New Mexico Press, 256 pages, $20.05 Identifying hummingbirds can be tricky: Sometimes the little speedballs just look like blurs of color. But zoologist George West makes it easier with his new guide, which provides detailed references and illustrations for all 17 species of North American hummers—plus information on eight rarities.
Descriptions of each bird’s shape, proportions, feather pattern, behavior, and vocalizations provide further clues for diagnosis. A Snowy Owl Storyillustrations by Jada Fitch Islandport Press and Maine Audubon, 24 pages, $10.95 A Snowy Owl Story isn’t just another cute kids book; it’s full of science and purpose. Based on true events, the story follows a golden-eyed Snowy Owl from the Arctic as it journeys across the continent to an abandoned building in Maine. Beautifully illustrated with easy-to-read text, the book teaches children about the bird’s habitat and diet, and also shows them how to help an avian in need. 3. Better Birding: Tips, Tools, and Concepts for the Field By George L. Armistead and Brian L. Sullivan Princeton University Press, 316 pages, $24.23 Want to be a real birder but don’t know how to sharpen your skills? This book will teach you how to identify birds with ease and speed. George Armistead, an ornithologist at Drexel University, and Brian Sullivan, editor for "Birds of North America Online," share expert techniques for IDing different groups of birds.
The book also shows how habitat and behavior can be used as crucial tools for birding. 4. The Living Bird: 100 Years of Listening to Nature Mountaineers Books, 208 pages, $29.95 Simple yet stunning images of Greater Sage-Grouse chicks, a Belted Kingfisher, a baby Sandhill Crane, and Brown Pelicans fill the pages of Gerrit Vyn’s new photography book, which celebrates avian conservation, as well as the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s 100th anniversary. Read more about the book and check out some of the selections here. 5. Birds of South America: Passerines By Ber van Perlo Princeton University Press, 464 pages, $23.93 Tody-flycatchers, euphonias, and horneros are just a few of the mystical songbirds that dwell in and around South America. This guide, by award-winning author and illustrator Ber van Perlo, includes all 1,952 passerine species found in south Panama, along with islands such as Trinidad, the Falklands, and the Galapagos. Each species profile is paired with an illustrated plate and a mini distribution map to narrow the field.
6. Gods of the Morning: A Bird’s-Eye View of a Changing World Pegasus Books, 304 pages, $22.65 For decades British naturalist John Lister-Kaye has watched climate change wreak havoc on the wildlife in the Scottish Highlands. In Gods of the Morning, he shares those observations through deeply immersive tales about Rooks, cranes, and other species, bookended with childhood memories and social criticism. Lister-Kaye’s writing thrives on intimacy and realism, without sacrificing its lyrical air. 7. Birding for the Curious: The Easiest Way for Anyone to Explore the Incredible World of Birds Page Street Publishing Co., 176 pages, $21.99 Intrigued by birding but not ready to dive in just yet? This beginners guide is the perfect solution! Nate Swick, an editor for the American Birding Association and blogger at “10,000 Birds,” covers all the essentials in 10 breezy chapters, including how to choose a field guide, how to buy the right suet for your feeders, and even how to look like a birder.
Self-help literature has never been more energizing. 8. Water Babies: The Hidden Lives of Baby Wetland Birds The Countryman Press, 208 pages, $21.69 Photographer William Burt spent years combing the nooks and crannies of the swamps of North America to bring us the many cute, awkward portraits in Water Babies. The darling images are coupled with notes about the birds’ behaviors and stories from Burt’s escapades in the field. See a few of Burt's photos here. 9. Peterson Reference Guide to Owls of North America and the Caribbean Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 352 pages, $27.02 There’s no such thing as too many owls—even with expert Scott Weidensaul’s comprehensive new guide, which holds every single owl species in North America. Balsas Screech-Owls, Northern Pygmy-Owls, and Spectacled Owls stare out from the pages filled with facts on nesting habits, behaviors, and calls. It's the first North American owl book to include Caribbean species, which is great, since vagrants can pop up anytime, anywhere.
10. H is for Hawk Grove Press, 300 pages, $18.20 While grappling with the unexpected death of her father, writer and falconer Helen Macdonald decides to channel her grief into training a Northern Goshawk—one of the most vicious predators of the skies. H is for Hawk is a riveting read that explores life and death, love, and hate, through a fierce woman and the even-fiercer animal that changes her life. Don't just take our word for it: The book won the Samuel Johnson Prize and was shortlisted for the Kirkus Prize in Nonfiction. Read one of the most dramatic excerpts here. By Ralph Steadman and Ceri Levy Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 224 pages, $30.00 While visiting Ralph Steadman’s mythical Toadstool Island, you may encounter a Blue-beaked Waddle drinking birdseed moonshine, a smudge of an Ollieblot, a Red-headed Vulture cleaning up a crime scene, or even a multi-headed Yellow-beaked Red-legged Bluet. These are just a few of the creations that are unveiled in the famed gonzo artist’s latest book.