About Birds: A Guide for Children

by Cathryn Sill, John Sill (Illustrator)

Overview

An award-winning, educator-approved first book on birds.

In this simple volume, educator and author Cathryn Sill uses clear, easy-to-understand language to teach children what birds are, what they do, and how they live. Noted wildlife illustrator John Sill provides beautifully detailed, realistic paintings to showcase the birds' diverse and natural worlds, and an afterword provides more details about each bird and inspires further learning.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781561456994
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	04/02/2013
Series:	About. . . , #1
Edition description:	Revised
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	137,597
Product dimensions:	8.30(w) x 9.80(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Cathryn Sill, a graduate of Western Carolina University, was an elementary school teacher for thirty years. She is the author of more than twenty-five prize-winning nonfiction picture books about animals and habitats. She has created three nature series especially for pre-K and kindergarten students. She lives in North Carolina.

John Sill holds a BS in wildlife biology from North Carolina State University. Combining his knowledge of wildlife and artistic skill, John has achieved an impressive reputation as a wildlife artist and received many awards. He has illustrated more than twenty-five books in the About... and About Habitats series. He lives in North Carolina.

Editorial Reviews

Various species of North American birds fly, swim and run across the pages of this picture-book field guide. for beginning birders. Lucid text provides basic information on general bird habits--``Birds may flock together''; ``Birds use their bills to gather food''--while lifelike watercolors offer visual clues to their natural habitats. The crisp illustrations carefully highlight the physical markings and relative sizes of birds for easy identification in the wild. For more advanced readers, a succinct afterword repeats the illustrations in black-and-white miniature and expands the book's text with more specific data. This volume is a true treat for the ecologically minded and especially for budding ornithologists. Ages 3-8. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

PreS-Gr 2-- Exceptionally detailed and uniformly accurate watercolors are each accompanied by a line of descriptive text that offers one straightforward fact about birds: ``Birds have feathers.'' ``Birds travel in different ways.'' ``Most birds fly,'' ``but some swim,'' ``and others run.'' Many are species young people are likely to encounter (Canada goose and American robin), while others (the greater roadrunner or the great horned owl) may be more difficult to locate. The illustrations depict the birds in their appropriate habitats. An afterword adds slightly more detailed information about each species, including the sizes of the nine birds. Little else on this subject exists at such a young level and the Sills succeed admirably in offering a basic introduction to the unique characteristics of birds. Minor quibbles: sometimes only the male of the species is shown, at others both sexes are pictured; in neither instance are readers given any aid in determining gender. In spite of these problems, most librarians will find this a priority purchase since it will fill a niche in their collections. --Ellen Fader, Westport Public Library, CT

School Library Journal

"Fifteen exquisite, scrupulously accurate watercolors of birds in their habitats are captioned by a deceptively simple text. . . An excellent concept book that takes its young audience seriously while skillfully providing the basics of an important subject." —Kirkus Reviews

★ "Exceptionally detailed and uniformly accurate. . . the Sills succeed admirably." —School Library Journal, Starred Review

"The full-color illustrations by wildlife artist John Sill are so lifelike that one almost expects the birds to fly off the pages. . . a wonderful visual introduction. . . " —Booklist

From the Publisher