ABC BIRDS

This latest addition to the American Museum of Natural History’s ABC series is dedicated to birds, from the familiar to the not so familiar.

Twenty-six birds make an appearance in this attractive, oversized board book. Using eye-catching design, a crisp photograph of each bird is digitally placed against a colorful background and its corresponding letter, which often acts as its perch as well. Budding naturalists will love the little factoid accompanying each bird. The information presented uses rich and at times sophisticated language, yet context allows it to be easily comprehended by the target age group. The ABC format is not intended to be a letter-learning exercise but a vehicle to present the birds, and this will probably work best as a browsing book to come back to, over and over, rather than one to read in one sitting and then put down. Children may be familiar with some of the birds, such as a cockatoo, a duck, an eagle, an owl, and a penguin; some others, such as a bee-eater, a grebe, an umbrella bird, a nightjar, and a xenops, might motivate them and their adult readers to go looking for more information.

Best suited for those eager young readers who thrive on facts.