A Place for Birds (A Place for Series)

by Melissa Stewart, Higgins Bond (Illustrator)

Overview

North America has almost three billion fewer birds now than it had fifty years ago. It may be hard to believe, but birds are in danger, and they are calling for our help. Sadly, humans are often the source of the harm! What can we do to help save them?

In simple yet compelling language, Melissa Stewart showcases twelve North American birds, from the familiar eastern bluebird to the rare Kirtland's warbler. Her clear narrative shows the threats these birds face, and informative sidebars describe a wide variety of efforts to save them.

In addition, remarkable full-color illustrations vividly and accurately depict the birds within the ecosystems that support their survival. Range maps and additional bird facts are also included.

This nonfiction picture book is part of the prize-winning A Place for... series designed to inform young readers about a wide range of environmental issues and to present ways people can help protect animals and their natural habitats. An ideal choice for young birders, scientists, environmentalists, and nature lovers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781561458400
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	04/07/2015
Series:	A Place For. . . , #2
Edition description:	Revised
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	296,001
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

Melissa Stewart has written more than 180 science books for children. Her books have won numerous honors, including CCBC Choices, Bank Street Best Children's Books, NSTA Recommends, Green Earth Book, and Parents' Choice Recommended awards. She offers live and virtual school visits as well as programs for educators.

Higgins Bond received a BFA from the Memphis College of Art. She is a fine artist and has illustrator, whose work has been used in books, magazines, posters, calendars, advertising, collectors' plates, brochures, figurines, and dolls. She is also the first African American woman to illustrate a United States postage stamp. She lives in Tennessee.

Editorial Reviews

"Well organized and laid out and should make for a useful prompt for discussing human effects on the environment: statements about the problems birds encounter are accompanied by handsome, realistic paintings" —School Library Journal

"A useful addition to science collections" —Booklist

"An accessible introduction to environmental issues. . . effective and engaging. . . Bond's acrylic illustrations depict realistic scenes with a crisp vibrancy. Put this one in the hands of budding scientists, environmentalists and nature lovers." —Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

Gr 2-4

In an attractive picture-book format similar to that of A Place for Butterflies (Peachtree, 2006), Stewart and Bond describe ways that human behavior interferes with bird survival in specific situations and suggest simple means of solving each problem ("When people create new grassy areas, birds can live and grow"). Realistic double-page acrylic paintings feature a particular species living in the depicted environment. Piping plovers, hermit thrushes, bald eagles, and others-some encountered across the United States, others familiar in much smaller regions-appear here. Brief text running across the top of each scene begins with the problem on the left-hand page and states a counter measure on the right; an inset provides a small portrait of the bird introduced in the larger view and a bit of information about its needs. Two final entries comment on the importance of these creatures to other living things and suggest bird-helping activities for children. Maps of North America and Hawaii, each indicating the habitat range for one of the species, appear on the endpapers. Constructed as a set of conservation lessons with minimal information about the birds or their habitation, this title will most likely find use in sparking classroom discussion.-Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston

School Library Journal

An accessible introduction to environmental issues, this title focuses on the effects, good and bad, that human behavior has on birds, highlighting the progress that we've made toward living in harmony with our winged friends and acknowledging problems still not solved. The rhythmic main text highlights birds' needs and what people can do to see that they are met. Insets on each page then provide specific examples to drive the point home. For instance, one spread explains that some birds need thick woodlands in which to make their homes. The accompanying inset tells the story of the spotted owl, which, though once facing the possibility of extinction due to the loss of its habitat, saw its chances for survival increase dramatically when Congress worked to protect old-growth forests in the 1990s. This format, with general statements foregrounded and examples included as insets, is effective and engaging, and Bond's acrylic illustrations depict realistic scenes with a crisp vibrancy. Put this one in the hands of budding scientists, environmentalists and nature lovers. (selected bibliography) (Informational picture book. 6-10)

Kirkus Reviews