Thunder Birds

Gr 4—6—From the powerful osprey on the jacket with its outstretched wing and glittering eyes, through eagles and owls, herons and vultures, and loons and pelicans, Arnosky's painterly eye and literary hand portray more than 20 "flying predators." The brief text is both informative and personal, if not in-depth. Readers are told that vultures have bare heads for "cleaner" feeding in and on a carcass as a practical matter, and given a personal touch of watching a thirsty brown pelican catch raindrops during a coastal downpour. Accompanying the masterful acrylics, myriad pencil sketches illuminate the margins surrounding the text, ranging from a great blue heron's spidery footprint to an actual-size eagle's foot, talons and all. The author supplies a list of birding sites, bird books, and a metric equivalency chart. Six foldout pages allow for the life-size illustrations. Elegant in format and artwork, this book will not accompany young birders into the field, but will be a rich resource for remembering special sightings, and inspire them to keep their eyes on the sky.—Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY