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Revision as of 12:50, 25 April 2022
, 12:50, 25 April 2022Created page with "{{infobox1 |title=The Secret Life of Birds |sort=Secret Life of Birds |author=Moira Butterfield and Vivian Mineker (illustrator) |reviewer=Sue Magee |genre=Children's Non-Fict..."
{{infobox1
|title=The Secret Life of Birds
|sort=Secret Life of Birds
|author=Moira Butterfield and Vivian Mineker (illustrator)
|reviewer=Sue Magee
|genre=Children's Non-Fiction
|summary=#
|rating=5
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|pages=48
|publisher=Happy Yak
|date=May 2022
|isbn=978-0711266209
|website=https://moirabutterfield.co.uk/
|cover=0711266204
|aznuk=0711266204
|aznus=0711266204
}}
I have recently discovered a great pleasure: I sit and watch the vast numbers of birds which visit our garden on a daily basis. An hour can pass without my noticing. I've established which species feed from the ground, which pop to the feeders for a quick snatch of some food and who settles in for a good munch but I wish I was more knowledgeable. It would have been wonderful if, as a child, I'd had access to a book such as ''The Secret Life of Birds'. So – what is it?
Well, it has the look of a book you'd share with your child before they can read for themselves – the bedtime story, or the afternoon on the sofa – but it's rather more than that and generally suitable for a slightly older age group. ''The Secret Life of Birds'' will appeal to the child who is able to appreciate that birds find their way by following invisible pathways in the sky, or who can understand that birds have different ways of calling to each other. Don't worry if that sounds very dry and slightly complicated because what you will really love is the way that the book is put together. You'll know your own child best but I'd suggest that a seven-year-old is probably the youngest I'd be buying the book for. As for an upper age group, I'd think that by the age of about eleven something more advanced might work well – but I sat down to flick through the book and was rivetted. My husband – who is knowledgeable about birds – did exactly the same thing! We both learned a great deal.
The different sections are introduced by Speedy the Swift who'll tell you quite a bit about how swifts behave. Did you know that swift chicks do press-ups on their wingtips to make themselves stronger? We then learn about other birds. There are lots of gems of information (nest-building, different feathers and beaks, migratory journeys, for example) but they're interspersed with stories and myths from around the world, such as how the peacock got his colours – and became a rather kindlier bird in the process. The stories are relatively short and the knowledge is delivered in bite-sized chunks and accessible language. It's a fun book to read and best of all, you don't feel as though you've been ''educated'' when you turn the final page. It's a book which could set a child up with an interest which could stay with them throughout their life.
I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.
Slightly younger children might appreciate [[Birdsong by Ellie Sandall]]. For a competent primer to get children thinking about birds, try [[My Book of Birds by Geraldo Valerio]].
{{amazontext|amazon=0711266204}}
{{amazonUStext|amazon=0711266204}}
{{foyles|url=https://tidd.ly/3Mw1Gga}}
{{waterstones|url=https://tidd.ly/36Iya7N}}
{{commenthead}}
[[Category:Moira Butterfield]] [[Category:Vivian Mineker]] [[Category:Animals and Wildlife]] [[Category:Confident Readers]]
|title=The Secret Life of Birds
|sort=Secret Life of Birds
|author=Moira Butterfield and Vivian Mineker (illustrator)
|reviewer=Sue Magee
|genre=Children's Non-Fiction
|summary=#
|rating=5
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|pages=48
|publisher=Happy Yak
|date=May 2022
|isbn=978-0711266209
|website=https://moirabutterfield.co.uk/
|cover=0711266204
|aznuk=0711266204
|aznus=0711266204
}}
I have recently discovered a great pleasure: I sit and watch the vast numbers of birds which visit our garden on a daily basis. An hour can pass without my noticing. I've established which species feed from the ground, which pop to the feeders for a quick snatch of some food and who settles in for a good munch but I wish I was more knowledgeable. It would have been wonderful if, as a child, I'd had access to a book such as ''The Secret Life of Birds'. So – what is it?
Well, it has the look of a book you'd share with your child before they can read for themselves – the bedtime story, or the afternoon on the sofa – but it's rather more than that and generally suitable for a slightly older age group. ''The Secret Life of Birds'' will appeal to the child who is able to appreciate that birds find their way by following invisible pathways in the sky, or who can understand that birds have different ways of calling to each other. Don't worry if that sounds very dry and slightly complicated because what you will really love is the way that the book is put together. You'll know your own child best but I'd suggest that a seven-year-old is probably the youngest I'd be buying the book for. As for an upper age group, I'd think that by the age of about eleven something more advanced might work well – but I sat down to flick through the book and was rivetted. My husband – who is knowledgeable about birds – did exactly the same thing! We both learned a great deal.
The different sections are introduced by Speedy the Swift who'll tell you quite a bit about how swifts behave. Did you know that swift chicks do press-ups on their wingtips to make themselves stronger? We then learn about other birds. There are lots of gems of information (nest-building, different feathers and beaks, migratory journeys, for example) but they're interspersed with stories and myths from around the world, such as how the peacock got his colours – and became a rather kindlier bird in the process. The stories are relatively short and the knowledge is delivered in bite-sized chunks and accessible language. It's a fun book to read and best of all, you don't feel as though you've been ''educated'' when you turn the final page. It's a book which could set a child up with an interest which could stay with them throughout their life.
I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.
Slightly younger children might appreciate [[Birdsong by Ellie Sandall]]. For a competent primer to get children thinking about birds, try [[My Book of Birds by Geraldo Valerio]].
{{amazontext|amazon=0711266204}}
{{amazonUStext|amazon=0711266204}}
{{foyles|url=https://tidd.ly/3Mw1Gga}}
{{waterstones|url=https://tidd.ly/36Iya7N}}
{{commenthead}}
[[Category:Moira Butterfield]] [[Category:Vivian Mineker]] [[Category:Animals and Wildlife]] [[Category:Confident Readers]]
