Look Up! Bird-Watching in Your Own Backyard

An array of talkative cartoon birds bring energy and humor to this small-format guide to bird-watching. With help from sidebars, charts, and some very opinionated birds, Cate explains how to identify various birds by color, shape, behavior, birdcall, and other characteristics. Meanwhile, bug-eyed birds banter with each other and boast about their traits in dialogue balloons ("Hee hee! You can't eat me—we're in a chart!" taunts a blue-gray gnatcatcher that's being eyed by a predatory merlin). Despite their goofy behavior and appearances, Cate's birds are realistic enough to give readers the tools to recognize them in the wild. Cate's informal hobbyist tone and all-around enthusiasm is infectious, as she emphasizes that bird-watching is as much about being aware of one's environment as it is about identifying specific birds. Ages 8 – up. (Mar.)