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The Blues Go Birding Across America

40p. 978-1-58469-124-2.
COPY ISBN
K-Gr 4 Five avian siblings go bird-watching across the United States to find the perfect song to sing at the White House Fourth of July celebration. There's lots of action on every page with speech bubbles for each bird; practical bird-watching tips on yellow sticky notes; field guide information; and notebook diary-type entries by each sibling. Each spread is filled with colorful details and a lot of textual variety. The traveling birds are drawn in different outfits as they surf in Hawaii and see an albatross; fish in San Francisco Bay and watch ring-billed gulls; and wade through the Okefenokee Swamp on stilts to see a spoonbill before arriving at the White House. Many corny jokes will appeal to young senses of humor, e.g., "Don't these humm-m-ingbirds know the words?" Uno, one of the brothers, concludes, "I guess fancy songs and flashy feathers always impress females." Sammi corrects his slanted remark a few pages later in her own notebook, "Father Mallard had a bright green head. He doesn't take care of babies, so he doesn't need to be camouflaged." This is a lighthearted romp with solid information on birds and bird-watching that could inspire future ornithologists."Frances E. Millhouser, formerly at Chantilly Regional Library, Fairfax County, VA" Copyright 2010 Media Source Inc.
A bluebird band travels across the U.S. in search of a new song, seeking inspiration from birds in different regions (an albatross in Hawaii, a mallard in Massachusetts, etc.). Page spreads are rather busy (with text, speech bubbles, birding tips, notebook entries, and field guide excerpts), but the volume is a clever intro to birding. Reading list, websites.

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