The Big Book of Birds

by Yuval Zommer

Overview

The fourth Big Book in the series introduces young children to some of the most colorful, magnificent, silly, and surprising feathered creatures from around the world.

Fourth in the hugely successful Big Book series, The Big Book of Birds is a fact-filled tour of the world’s most wonderful winged creatures. Yuval Zommer’s distinctive illustrations show off some of the most colorful, flamboyant, impressive, and wacky birds of the sky. Picture-book charm pairs with informative nonfiction to make a beautiful, large-format title for parents to share with young children and for older children to read by themselves.

The book draws in children and parents alike with captivating information about and charming illustrations of hummingbirds, peacocks, flamingos, bald eagles, secretary birds, puffins, red-crowned cranes, and more. The book also invites young bird-watchers to protect birds where they live and make their gardens bird-friendly. The text is chatty, funny, and full of remarkable facts.

Yuval Zommer’s illustrations and fresh approach are what make this series feel distinct. His glorious and quirky pictures appeal to young children, who will relish the flighty questions and pithy facts about the most exciting creatures of the sky.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780500651513
Publisher:	Thames & Hudson
Publication date:	06/04/2019
Series:	Big Book of...
Pages:	64
Product dimensions:	9.30(w) x 13.40(h) x 0.60(d)
Lexile:	IG920L (what's this?)
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

Yuval Zommer graduated from the Royal College of Art with an MA in illustration. He worked as a creative director at advertising agencies before becoming an author and illustrator of acclaimed nonfiction. Yuval’s Big Book series encourages children to explore the natural world. The series has been published in twenty-five languages and has won and been shortlisted for numerous awards, including the UKLA Book Awards, the English Association’s Nonfiction Award, and the Made for Mums Award. Follow him on Instagram @yuvalzommer.

Editorial Reviews

"The watercolor illustrations joyously spill across pages, portraying an amazing variety of feathered creatures busily interacting with each other… This is a book that needs to be looked at again and again, slowly and carefully; the perusal will result in fresh discoveries every time."

Booklist

2019-04-14
Zommer surveys various bird species from around the world in this oversized (almost 14 inches tall tall) volume.

While exuberantly presented, the information is not uniformly expressed from bird to bird, which in the best cases will lead readers to seek out additional information and in the worst cases will lead to frustration. For example, on spreads that feature multiple species, the birds are not labeled. This happens again later when the author presents facts about eggs: Readers learn about camouflaged eggs, but the specific eggs are not identified, making further study extremely difficult. Other facts are misleading: A spread on "city birds" informs readers that "peregrine falcons nest on skyscrapers in New York City"—but they also nest in other large cities. In a sexist note, a peahen is identified as "unlucky" because she "has drab brown feathers" instead of flashy ones like the peacock's. Illustrations are colorful and mostly identifiable but stylized; Zommer depicts his birds with both eyes visible at all times, even when the bird is in profile. The primary audience for the book appears to be British, as some spreads focus on European birds over their North American counterparts, such as the mute swan versus the trumpeter swan and the European robin versus the American robin. The backmatter, a seven-word glossary and an index, doesn't provide readers with much support.

Pretty but insubstantial. (Nonfiction. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews