When I was in elementary school, I remember one of my teachers telling our class that if one is called a “bird brain” that is actually a compliment. My teacher went on to compare the size of birds’ brains to all that they learn to do to survive. She also gave us a lesson on instinct and learned behavior. Pamela S. Turner takes the “bird brain” analogy even further in her new book, Crow Smarts: Inside the Brain of the World’s Brightest Bird (HMH).
The author chronicles the work of Dr. Gavin Hunt and his team on the Pacific archipelago, as they study the New Caledonian crows. Because of the knowledge that the scientists have gathered, they now compare the intelligence of crows to that of dolphins, monkeys, and chimpanzees. These crows use tools to obtain food, and they even manufacture their own tool kits.
Crow Smarts is the latest release in the outstanding Scientists in the Field Series by the publisher, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Andy Comins has collaborated on other books in the series. His color photographs in Crow Smarts demonstrate his talent for bringing science to life for children and adults. The art of Guido De Filippo further enhances this informative book.
Bar-tailed godwits’ tale of migration is extraordinary, even compared to other shorebirds’ migrations. Each year, the godwits fly from their northern home in Alaska to their southern home in Australia and New Zealand. They make this 7,000 mile journey before the Arctic winter begins. When they return to the north, they stop to feed in the wetlands of Asia.
Jeannie Baker’s latest book, Circle (Candlewick Press), is a lovely testimony to these amazing birds and their journeys. Her art is depicted in stunning collage. Besides depicting the birds, she also adds in a young, physically challenged boy who dreams of flying.
The Global Flyway Network unites researchers who devote their work to studying bird migrations all over the world.
Jeannie Baker describes her art in Circle in the following video.
There have been a plethora of new books published recently about animals and birds. While some of them target our youngest readers, others are wonderful to share with our intermediate and older readers.
It’s no surprise that I am excited about a new “Pull, Pop, Lift & Learn Book” for our young budding scientists. Animals Upside Down is the production of Robin Page and Steve Jenkins (Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2013). I always recommend any book that has artwork by Steve Jenkins, and this is no exception. As is described on the back of the book, “Turn wheels, pull tabs, lift flaps, and open doors to reveal twenty-six different animals and discover the many remarkable ways that going bottoms-up helps them to survive!”
The Long, Long Journey by Sandra Markle, illustrated by Mia Posada (Millbrook Press, 2013) is subtitled The Godwit’s Amazing Migration. These long-billed and long-legged birds fly the longest nonstop bird migration that has ever been recorded. They are born in Alaska where they spend the summer learning to fly, finding food, and escaping predators. In October, the godwits fly over 7,000 miles to New Zealand.
Our intermediate and middle school readers may want to check out The Dolphins of Shark Bay by Pamela S. Turner, with photographs by Scott Tuason (Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2013). The Shark Bay Dolphin Project has been in existence for over twenty-five years; the scientists involved have recorded the habits of hundreds of wild dolphins. They want to know why dolphins can learn simple languages, recognize themselves in mirrors, understand gestures such as pointing, and mimic vocally.
When I was in elementary school, I remember one of my teachers telling our class that if one is called a “bird brain” that is actually a compliment. My teacher went on to compare the size of birds’ brains to all that they learn to do to survive. She also gave us a lesson on instinct and learned behavior. Pamela S. Turner takes the “bird brain” analogy even further in her new book, Crow Smarts: Inside the Brain of the World’s Brightest Bird (HMH).
