Superlative Birds

by Leslie Bulion, Robert Meganck (Illustrator)

Overview

Get to know all about the best and brightest—and smelliest!—birds in Leslie Bulion's award-winning collection of avian science poetry. You won't even need binoculars!

Ever wonder which bird has the loudest voice? Which one builds the biggest nest or has the most feathers? Get to know all about the best and brightest―and smelliest!―denizens of the bird world with this collection of nonfiction science verses.

Award-winning science poetry author Leslie Bulion dedicates a variety of verse to these impressive birds and includes a science glossary, notes on poetic forms, and resources for more information in the back of the book.

Witty drawings by Robert Meganck add another layer of fun to this humorous and informative gallery of the world's most accomplished birds. Ideal for cross-curricular learning, including units on animals, birds, nature, and poetry.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781561459513
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	03/05/2019
Pages:	56
Sales rank:	484,443
Product dimensions:	7.30(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Leslie Bulion has graduate degrees in oceanography and social work. She has written parenting and education articles and is the author of several children's science-related poetry books and novels. When she's not writing, she enjoys exploring nature with her binoculars, hand lens, and camera; collecting specimens to examine under her microscope; or going SCUBA diving and or kayaking. Leslie lives in Connecticut.

Designer and illustrator Robert Meganck, retired professor of illustration, graphic design, digital imaging, and color theory at Virginia Commonwealth University, received a BFA degree from the Center for Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan, and an MFA degree from Cranbrook Academy of Art. He has received over 300 awards for illustration and graphic design work, and been recognized for excellence by such organizations as The Society of Illustrators New York and The Society of Illustrators Los Angeles.

Editorial Reviews

★ "With characteristic humor and carefully crafted language, poet Bulion offers readers amazing facts about birds of our world. . . . These engaging poems read aloud beautifully. . . . Meganck's digital illustrations reflect the humorous tone. . . . Excellent resources for further bird study complete this delightful offering. Entertaining and educational, a superlative package."—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

★ "Fascinating facts. . . Meganck's illustrations are one-dimensional and friendly, placing the birds against uncluttered backgrounds while clearly emphasizing the characteristic being highlighted by each poem."—Booklist, Starred Review

★ "Bulion is an accomplished wordsmith. . . . Illustration is engrossing, imaginative, instructive, and deftly calibrated to the tone of the text. . . there's enough trivia here to stoke middle grade know-it-alls. Even readers who are merely on fact-finding missions, though, will be impressed by the breadth and engagement of Bulion's chosen poetry forms. . . . In works such as Superlative Birds, the collaboration of poetry and science invites children of varying reading preferences, learning styles, and worldviews to enter nature study through their own chosen door." —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Starred Review

"A "top of the class" example of combining two different subjects that are approachable and a joy to read. A win for science and English classrooms." —School Library Journal

From the Publisher

04/01/2019

Gr 3–7—This combination poetry/science book successfully blends language arts and science into an informative and fun collection of poems about the fastest, smallest, biggest, and most interesting birds. Each page includes a short poem about one of the most notable birds in the world, commenting on what makes them miraculous and a standout, followed by a few paragraphs of additional background information. Each poem is structurally catered to the particular bird it highlights, such as a poem in the shape of a penguin, or a loud free verse poem for the loudest birds, like the Salmon-crested Cockatoo and the Kakapo. The sometimes challenging vocabulary level may seem better suited for an older middle school reader, but beautiful illustrations combine cartoonish and anatomically correct representations with bright colors that pop to make this a treat anyone can enjoy. The notes section explains the structures and rhyming patterns of each poem and helps readers better understand the poems' forms and styles. Also included is a short glossary of terms and reference guide for resources on birding and bird watching. VERDICT A "top of the class" example of combining two different subjects that are approachable and a joy to read. A win for science and English classrooms.-Thomas Jonte, Pensacola State College, FL

School Library Journal

★ 2018-12-05

A chatty chickadee introduces bird species standouts.

With characteristic humor and carefully crafted language, poet Bulion offers readers amazing facts about birds of our world. Poems and accompanying science notes describe 18 birds that excel in some fashion and explain what nearly all birds have in common; the first poem introduces her focus, and the last notes environmental threats. These engaging poems read aloud beautifully. Thoughtful word choices allow for repeated sounds and pleasing internal rhymes. Each is constructed according to a different pattern, described in the backmatter. Meganck's digital illustrations reflect the humorous tone. The round eyes of his bird caricatures often stare directly at readers. An amusingly anthropomorphic chickadee, "the great communicator," guides readers through the text from beginning to end, pointing out in speech bubbles those characteristics birds share with other species and three that are theirs alone: feathers, a furcula (wishbone), and syrinx ("a two-sided voice organ"). (The two unfamiliar words are defined in context.) Like any good teacher, this avian instructor summarizes and repeats at the end. From the tiny bee hummingbird in Cuba through the well-traveled Arctic tern to the familiar chickadee whose warnings many species understand, these record-breaking birds come from all over the world, and their special characteristics vary widely. Excellent resources for further bird study complete this delightful offering.

Entertaining and educational, a superlative package. (glossary, acknowledgements) (Informational poetry. 7-12)

Kirkus Reviews