Bring On the Birds by Susan Stockdale (Peachtree, 2011) is a sparsely worded picture book for the youngest of readers, this time showing a variety of birds in their natural habitats. A distinctive characteristic is noted for each bird, from the “swooping” owls to the “birds with tails held high” (the Indian peafowl or peacock, which was my son’s favorite illustration).
The pictures are acrylic illustrations, and while the style of the illustration isn’t my personal favorite, I’m amazed at how deceivingly simple the illustrations are, as each picture does provide much detail about the birds and in many cases the environment that the birds live in. The progressing pages rhyme, making it a pleasant read-aloud, and the last page provides further details about the birds, including where they live and how their “special feature” is important or useful, as well as a “for further reading” list. In short, Bring On the Birds is a great introduction to a variety of birds around the world.
