Beautiful Birds
ISBN13
9781909263291
Review published
25/03/2015
By Reviewer
Anne
Star Rating
By Author / Illustrator
J. Roussen and E. Walker
Age range(s)
7+
Review
Flying Eye Books' gorgeous compendium of birds gives us a rare and colourful glimpse into birds from around the world, reminding us just how vast and precious these creatures are. It is a lovely book to start looking at birdlife and to encourage children to take an interest in the birds in our natural landscape and further afield. The book is an A-Z, told through a poem, and introduces some more unusual birds, including the zosteropidae and jacana, as well as more familiar creatures like the eagle, robin and peacock, each with a brief line of text to help us place the bird. What makes the book really stand out, though, is the artwork - it is stunning, with each bird depicted on its own full page in a slightly retro, stylised manner with the bright pink we see on the cover dropped in for effect. The colours and images glow off the page, especially the ultramarine of the kingfisher page, or the pinks and blues of the peacock - who gets a starring role! - and this makes it a lovely book to share. Dipping in like this can also be a starting point to follow through with one of the birds and to find out more about where and how it lives. Beautiful Birds can be linked with topics like the rainforest and migration, or used in art to encourage children to depict their own choice of bird. 56 pages / Ages 6+ / Reviewed by Anne Hastings
