FEATHERY FACTS
by Catherine Chermayeff & illustrated by Ivan Chermayeff
Bold, cut-paper collages in eye-popping colors enliven this brief collection of bird facts. While most of the 15 subjects will be unfamiliar (cape pendulum tits, African honeyguides, kittiwakes and sulphur-crested cockatoos), the artwork is so striking that children will be drawn to look and look again. One spread, typical of the rest, vividly illustrates the text, ``Black-necked swan mothers carry their babies on their backs for safety. Each baby weighs less than a banana when it is born.'' The companion volume, Scaly Facts, gives equally appealing text and art about alligators, snakes, tortoises, geckos, etc. Each title has a sturdy cover, stitched signatures, and heavy, glossy paper which should ease independent browsing by young readers. This is good nonfiction for the youngest fact-finders. (Picture book/nonfiction. 3-7)