Recommended Books Aug – Sept 2023

by NIAS | Nov 27, 2023 | Nature's Book Nook

Many of these books can be found on PrairieCat; many are available for as little as 1 cent or 99 cents from booksellers on Amazon (with $3.99 for postage and handling).

Hatchling:

Ivy Bird
by Tania McCartney and Jess Racklyeft

This book follows a typical day of a young child named Ivy. She spends her day with the amazing birds around her by imagining that she is a bird as well. She pecks her breakfast, flutters and flies from place to place, sips sweet nectar, sings and chirps to communicate, takes a bird bath, and settles into her nest at night. As you read the story, you will then notice that each page shows real species of birds that match each behavior, which are also explained at the end of the book.

Fledgling:

Birds from Head to Tail
by Stacey Roderick

This book is a delightful and educational book perfect for a beginning reader and budding birder. The child can guess which bird each close-up belongs to – such as the bright blue feet of the Blue-footed Booby, the keen eyes of the Bald Eagle, the unusual body of the flightless Kiwi, or the long pink legs of the flamingo. While the guessing pages are easy to read, the following answer page provides lengthier fun facts for greater learning. There is also a bonus page about even more cool birds!

Juvenile:

Superlative Birds
by Leslie Bulion

This book is written by an award-winning science poet who teaches all about the award-winners of the bird kingdom, if there was a contest that exists! This contest would have categories like “smallest” or “biggest” bird, but also more bizarre categories like “most-gruesome prey collection,” “biggest loudmouth,” or the “smelliest” bird. It is a witty book with interesting and extraordinary facts that will be appreciated by any curious reader.

Adult:

Better Living Through Birding: Notes from a Black Man in the Natural World
by Christian Cooper

Christian Cooper is a brilliant writer who shares his life story that is primarily shaped by his passion for nature and birding. However, this memoir is beyond being a birder. Christian weaves his past and present stories in a beautifully written way, connecting very poignant parts of his life that helped mold the person he is today. He shares personal accounts of his identity as a Black gay man, his family, life at Harvard, his work at Marvel comics, and of course, the racist encounter that made him well-known today. He may have been introduced to the large part of the world for that incident, but because of that, we are fortunate to know more about this remarkable human being. His notability now is used as a means to help build a sense of belonging in the birding community and remind others that birds are for all to enjoy.