The cover of this large hardback book lures the reader with illustrations of brightly coloured parrots that stand out from the background and shimmer with blue foil. Camilla De La Bedoyere explores the wide range of birds in the world and we learn about what a bird is; birds that have lost the ability to fly; dinosaur birds; water birds; flying; feeding; barn owls; meat eaters; love birds; penguins; long distance travellers and birds and people. There are plenty of fascinating facts. Did you know that there are more than 10,000 species of birds? Or that although anchiornis had wings, it probably couldn’t fly? It used its long feathered limbs to climb instead. Or that the skua is known as a ‘pirate bird’ because it attacks other seabirds and steals from them? The text is at an appropriate level and the illustrations are stunning. Many pages have a “Can You Find task that encourages children to interact with the text. Highly recommended as an introduction to the world of birds for young readers.
Brenda Marshall
Big Picture Press ISBN 9781787417175 £12.99
