An-Animal-a-Month: Birds
With myriad titles to choose from, I’m able to showcase a bird book from each of the 5 Kinds of Nonfiction (with the caveat that the narrative title is informational fiction, but I’ve suggested a narrative nonfiction alternative too) . What a treat! You’ll find a book to engage every young reader.
Click on the book covers to find more information about each title.
Almost unbelievable, but 100% true! In Spit Nests, Puke Power, and Other Brilliant Bird Adaptations, Laura Perdew shares the incredible range of physical traits and behaviors that allow birds to survive in every habitat on land and water. She’s chosen especially kid-friendly examples, such as birds that burp and birds that boogie, and cleverly linked them together to create page-turning fun. The voice is exuberant and inviting. The illustrations by Kate Mazeika are dynamic, informative, and eyecatching, as is the layout. Children and adults will come away with a heightened appreciation of adaptations and amazing facts to share with friends. Find a bird activity and glossary at the end. Utilize this title for science lessons and share it with nature enthusiasts, ages 5-8.
Kind of nonfiction: Expository Literature – narrowly focused on bird adaptations with standout voice, language, and text structure. (My categorization using Melissa Stewart’s 5 Kinds of Nonfiction.) One of the five titles in the Picture Book Science series about adaptations from Nomad Press.
Ties to Next Generation Science Standards:
K-ESS2-2 (Construct an argument supported by evidence for how plants and animals can change the environment to meet their needs.) Turn to pages 4-5 for an example of how a bird changes the environment to attract a mate. Male bowerbirds gather natural materials to decorate the special structure, called a bower, which they create at mating time – humans aren’t the only animals with an aesthetic sense! Then turn to pages 14-15 to see how vultures use their vomit to create an acidic environment that deters predators.
K-2-ETS1-2 (Develop a simple sketch, drawing, or physical model to illustrate how the shape of an object helps it function to solve a given problem.) On pages 12-13, readers will learn that emus have a big problem. They can’t fly away from predators. Instead, they use their long, strong legs to run, jump, and kick their way out of trouble. Students can sketch the emu legs to show how they are built for speed and power. Other examples of structure/function relationships are shown on the spreads of the toucan’s bill and hummingbird tongue. Both structures solve a feeding challenge - plucking fruit and sipping nectar, respectively.
1-LS1-1 (Use materials to design a solution to a human problem by mimicking how plants and/or animals use external body parts to help them survive, grow, and meet their needs.) The owl on page 24 uses the feathers on its face to funnel sounds towards its ears. Students can take inspiration from the owl and design a mask that could help people who can’t hear well. The toucan’s bill, designed for plucking fruit and catching, could inspire a design for a fruit harvesting or catching tool. What other body parts can your students draw inspiration from?
1-LS1-2 (Read texts and use media to determine patterns of behavior of parents and offspring that help offspring survive.) Pages 9-10 show male Emperor penguins holding eggs and chicks on their feet, tucked under their feathers, to keep the young alive in freezing Antarctic air. Have students investigate whether other birds incubate eggs with their feathers. Is there a pattern?
4-LS1-1 (Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, and reproduction.) Students can turn to this book for evidence that animals use their internal and external structures for survival, growth, and reproduction. For example, the salivary glands of swiftlets allow them to produce spit for constructing nests up high, in safe places to raise their young. Birds-of-paradise use their plumage to attract a mate, while blue-footed boobies use their blue feet.The emu uses its legs to flee predators, while vultures use their acidic vomit. A toucan’s beak helps it stay cool. Find more examples in the book.
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You probably spotted a dinosaur today! In this title, author and illustrator Drew Sheneman tells the remarkable 150-million-year evolutionary story of birds. Children will see that birds are real, living dinosaurs. The chronological text is clear, concise, and easy to follow, but also imbued with a dose of humor, via the talking dinosaurs. It’s fast-paced and fun with an illustrated timeline at the end. Ages 4-8.
Kind of nonfiction: Due to the speech bubbles and comical illustrations, this book is technically informational fiction but the text is traditional nonfiction (a broad overview written in a clear information-sharing style, ie expository writing). I think the clever humor puts this book in a category of its own. (My categorization using Melissa Stewart’s 5 Kinds of Nonfiction.) I noticed that it is listed as nonfiction on the WorldCat site.
One great horned owl, six chickadees, and five Canada geese! Join a young girl and her mother as they participate in the annual Christmas Bird Count. You’ll wake up early, bring your most important tools – your eyes and ears – and scour the town for birds. At the end of the day, you’ll join other citizen scientists, to share stories of the day and tally the numbers. This information will help scientists know which species are thriving and which need help. You may even be inspired to join a bird count. Ages 4-8.
Kind of book: Inclusion of fictional characters, even one based on a real person, move this title into the category of informational fiction. I found it shelved with fiction at our local library. It’s a narrative story, conveying the experience of participating in a bird count and is filled with factual information about the birds and the Christmas Bird Count. For a narrative nonfiction title about the Christmas Bird Count and the person who pioneered it, Frank Chapman, please check out Counting Birds: The Idea That Helped Save Our Feathered Friends by Heidi E.Y. Stemple. Which book do your students prefer and why?
Active, playful learning about birds! This title in the Backpack Explorer series, invites children to learn by doing. It explains what to bring, where to look, and provides tips for bird watching. It suggests several focused birding activities, such as looking for birds of different colors, listening for and practicing birds call, and spotting signs of birds like feathers, footprints, and nests. Spreads also provide basic information about various categories of birds such as water birds, raptors, and ground birds. Have fun with the suggested bird-themed games. Ages 4-8.
Kind of nonfiction: Active – interactive and teaches a new skill. A good match for children who prefer to be on the go. (My categorization using Melissa Stewart’s 5 Kinds of Nonfiction.)
Riveting photos with facts in digestible bites! This title offers an amazing breath of information, including bird body parts, behaviors, migration, conservation, and profiles of different kinds of birds. There is also an interview with an ornithologist, a migration map, and diagrams depicting bird sizes. Find a table of contents, glossary, index, and page numbers too. Ages 6-9.
Kind of nonfiction: Browsable – each page stands on its own, so open to any spread and look at the photographs, read the captions, and/or read tidbits of information at your own pace. Great for gleaning facts to share with friends, browsing when you just have a few minutes, or starting a research project. For a comprehensive overview of birds, read it cover to cover. (My categorization using Melissa Stewart’s 5 Kinds of Nonfiction.)