Birds of a Feather

Written by Francesco Pittau and Bernadette Gervais

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Pittau and Gervais have created a wonderful interactive book all about birds. Have you ever wondered how fast an ostrich can run? They can run 70 kilometers an hour! You will discover what color flamingos are before they turn pink. How many penguin species are there? An emu egg is HUGE! You will get to see and compare the color and size of many different eggs as you lift each flap to see what bird laid them. Cardinals love to drink maple sap from the holes people have drilled into the trees to extract maple syrup. These are just a few of the amazing things you will learn about over forty birds in this magnificent book. All this information is hidden behind flaps with drawings or silhouettes of the birds. There are also pages that will allow the child to “create” his own bird by turning different flaps and exposing different shapes and feathers.

This is a fun book, designed for children ages 4-8, but I can guarantee that the adults who help them read this book will enjoy it just as much as the children. It is beautiful to look at and a fun and intriguing way to learn new things about birds. This would be a very good introduction to reading alone for second grade readers; it will encourage them in comprehending comparisons in size and color, to learn that not all birds fly, but some swim.

Reading skills will be improved as they work out the word meanings using the drawings to give context.

This book made the Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12: 2013 (Books published in 1012) http://www.nsta.org/publications/ostb/ostb2013.aspx

Suggested activity page:

Book trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-oeLGVPp8A

  • Birds of a FeatherCreated by Francesco Pittau and Bernadette Gervais
  • Translated by: Chronicle Books
  • Country of Origin: France, under the title Oxiseau, in 2010
  • Publisher: Chronicle Books
  • Reviewer: Carole Robishaw
  • Hardcover: 18 pages
  • ISBN-13: 978-1452110660
  • Genre: nonfiction, Science, Nature

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