The Blues Go Birding Across America, by Carol Malnor
This is an adorable picture book written from the perspective of 5 bluebirds that travel around America, learning about the natural history of birds in a cute cartoon story format. It kind of reminds me of the Magic School Bus series in the way the pages are set up…with a story told in the main part of the pages and lots of fascinating bird facts sprinkled around each page in the talk bubbles of the birds themselves and little blocks of notes. Each page has darling artwork coupled with a story narrative about their travels, a short birding tip, a notebook page from one of the birds about their adventures on that page, and a small page from their “field guide” about a specific bird which they encountered on that part of their trip.
It’s all woven together in a very sweet way with the birds’ adventures across America, meeting all sorts of different birds along the way. This is just one of a series of books about “The Blues” family of bluebirds, all of which are just adorable and packed with great birding info! I have a real interest in teaching my children about birds, being a bird enthusiast myself, so I really enjoy sharing The Blues books with my kiddos, ages 5 and 10.
As with all Dawn Publications books (Now Source Books), this one is packed full of great educational info and on the back page there are more birding facts and info about the authors and illustrator, and links to more info.
I highly recommend anything from Dawn Publications, as I’ve been receiving books for review for years now and they are always of a very high quality in art and content and educational aspects.
From their books: “Dawn Publications is dedicated to inspiring in children a deeper understanding and appreciation for all life on Earth.” That’s a mission I can REALLY get behind! Check them out!
