Look Up!: Bird-Watching in Your Own Backyard

by Annette LeBlanc Cate, Annette LeBlanc Cate (Illustrator)

Overview

A 2014 Robert F. Sibert Honor Book

You don’t have to own binoculars and know a bunch of fancy Latin names to watch birds! No matter where you live, they’re in your neighborhood — just look up.

This conversational, humorous introduction to bird-watching encourages kids to get outdoors with a sketchbook and really look around. Quirky full-color illustrations portray dozens of birds chatting about their distinctive characteristics, including color, shape, plumage, and beak and foot types, while tongue-in-cheek cartoons feature banter between birds, characters, and the reader (“Here I am, the noble spruce grouse. In a spruce grove. Eatin’ some spruce. Yep.”). Interactive and enjoyable tips bring an age-old hobby to new life for the next generation of bird-watchers.
Back matter includes a bibliography, an index, and bird-watching tips.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780763693008
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	01/29/2019
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	80
Sales rank:	995,776
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 7.40(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	810L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Annette LeBlanc Cate is the author-illustrator of The Magic Rabbit. She’s been watching and drawing birds for many years, and she loves pointing out funny stuff about them. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband and two sons.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

A chatty, appealing introduction to observing these easiest-to-see of all wild creatures...Small and accessible, this is jam-packed with accurate information likely to increase any potential birder’s enthusiasm and knowledge.
—Kirkus Reviews

Editorial Reviews

A chatty, appealing introduction to observing these easiest-to-see of all wild creatures...Small and accessible, this is jam-packed with accurate information likely to increase any potential birder’s enthusiasm and knowledge.
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

[Cate's] desire to share this passion with a new generation of nature enthusiasts shines through in this delightful and thoroughly detailed introduction to the hobby (some might say addiction) of birdwatching.
—The Horn Book (starred review)

An array of talkative cartoon birds bring energy and humor to this small-format guide to bird-watching...Cate’s informal hobbyist tone and all-around enthusiasm is infectious, as she emphasizes that bird-watching is as much about being aware of one’s environment as it is about identifying specific birds.
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

With its emphasis on looking at the birds near home–from suburbs to inner cities–this invitation to bird-watching is an engaging addition to any collection...Lots of fun–and informative.
—School Library Journal (starred review)

In this amiable guidebook that encourages readers to observe and wonder about the birds around them, Cate presents plenty of relevant information while sharing her clear enthusiasm for the subject...This title will engage readers with its well-presented information spiced with visual and verbal humor.
—Booklist

Cate supplements her instructive and encouraging remarks with cartoon-style illustrations that include plenty of additional speech-balloon commentary from the birds themselves. Not everyone can pull off the kibitzing-animal shtick, but the avian chorus is genuinely funny, and their banter goes a long way toward driving the lessons home.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

If readers approach the subject the way Cate approaches it, bird-watching can be a fun activity for artists of any age.
—Library Media Connection

LOOK UP! BIRD-WATCHING IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD…a lively, informal guide for children ages 8 and older that is jammed with fun and colorful drawings. Annette LeBlanc Cate has arranged her information in a way that is immensely helpful to the amateur.
—The Wall Street Journal

Annette LeBlanc Cate mashes up nonfiction, a picture book, and a comic to create something fresh, engaging, and – this is the most impressive point – something that might inspire readers to pick up a notepad and look skyward. An excellent book for budding ornithologists and for those who have no idea what that means...Informative and entertaining, this is a book that I hope finds its way into the hands of a lot of young readers.
—100 Scope Notes

The greatest part of this activity is that all you really need to do is what the title of this book says. Go outside and look up. ... This book — told with funny, bright, cartoon illustrations — is filled with amazing facts.
—The Washington Post

The book is full of interesting information and is laid-out in a kid-friendly fashion from the inside covers to the very end and you’ll be enriched with mounds of interesting information in a most entertaining way.
—Newton's Book News

From the Publisher

An array of talkative cartoon birds bring energy and humor to this small-format guide to bird-watching. With help from sidebars, charts, and some very opinionated birds, Cate explains how to identify various birds by color, shape, behavior, birdcall, and other characteristics. Meanwhile, bug-eyed birds banter with each other and boast about their traits in dialogue balloons (“Hee hee! You can’t eat me—we’re in a chart!” taunts a blue-gray gnatcatcher that’s being eyed by a predatory merlin). Despite their goofy behavior and appearances, Cate’s birds are realistic enough to give readers the tools to recognize them in the wild. Cate’s informal hobbyist tone and all-around enthusiasm is infectious, as she emphasizes that bird-watching is as much about being aware of one’s environment as it is about identifying specific birds. Ages 8–up. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

Gr 3–5—With its emphasis on looking at the birds near home-from suburbs to inner cities-this invitation to bird-watching is an engaging addition to any collection. By grouping birds by colors, shapes, behaviors, feathers, calls, habitat, migration, and more, the spreads highlight the multitude of avian features to be observed. Cate emphasizes the importance of observation and includes sketching instructions as a way to hone those skills on the individual aspects of a bird along with its species' characteristics. Each page is filled with full-color illustrations. At first glance they may appear crowded and busy, but the detailed drawings are charming, lively, and fun. Humorous dialogue bubbles feature bird "thoughts" in accessible language. Comic human observations are also included: "Are those pesky birds pooping on my windowsill again?" Lots of fun-and informative.—Frances E. Millhouser, formerly at Chantilly Regional Library, Fairfax County, VA

School Library Journal

A chatty, appealing introduction to observing these easiest-to-see of all wild creatures. Amusing scenes of loquacious birds and occasional human observers fill these busy pages. The pen-and-ink–and-watercolor cartoons are reminiscent of Roz Chast, with speech bubbles carrying much of the information. Where it would be informative, birds are labeled. Their variety is astounding; the page on coloration alone shows 60 different species from across the country. Cate's enthusiasm is catching, but she starts simply. She talks about looking at birds in one's backyard and neighborhood, with no special tools except for a sketch book—not since drawing is easy but since the effort requires close attention to details. She addresses color, shape and activities before moving on to using field marks to distinguish similar-looking birds. A comical central spread shows a sparrow fashion show, with the different species sporting their distinctive decorations. She discusses plumage variations, sounds and the use of field guides. The fact that birds look different because they live in different places and behave in different ways leads to consideration of habitat, range and migration. Finally, an explanation of classification includes an introduction to scientific names. The bibliography has good suggestions for birders of any age. Small and accessible, this is jam-packed with accurate information likely to increase any potential birder's enthusiasm and knowledge. (index, drawing, tips) (Nonfiction. 8-15)

Kirkus Reviews