THE TUFTED PUFFINS OF TRIANGLE ISLAND

A visit to a unique seabird rookery and wildlife refuge off the coast of British Columbia.

Along with being fun to say, tufted puffins cut distinctive figures in Reczuch’s close-up painted scenes, with their strong orange beaks and elegantly swept-back crowns of feathers. In matter-of-fact tones, Hodge follows the engaging birds on an immemorial round from annual nesting to nurturing chicks until they’re mature enough to survive on the open ocean and in time return to start the next generation. The author also discusses in some detail the natural factors, from terrain to ocean currents to weather conditions (“fierce storms, howling winds, dense fog”), that have made rugged Triangle Island the site of Canada’s largest colony of the species. The puffins are joined by 11 other types of seabird, some of which pose in the illustrations and in a gallery at the end. For a strong close that broadens the focus, she lucidly explains in the backmatter how warming oceans constitute a hazard to all these populations by decreasing the food supply, which will leave readers with a greater understanding of how climate change can affect ecosystems in sometimes unexpected ways.

An informative and thought-provoking sketch.