Customer Reviews

Feathers for Lunch

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Bright, bold, uncluttered illustrations and a jaunty rhyme make this a perfect book for children ages 1-4. Toddlers and older can also learn to recognize some common North American birds. -One of our daughters' favorites.

This wonderful book was the first favorite book of both my children; now the 5-year-old chants along from memory when the 18-month-old demands her daily reading(s). My only complaint about Feathers for Lunch is that it isn't available in a board book form--ours is held together with tape!

Another favorite of my 3 1/2 year-old daughter, along with "Top Cat" by the same author. Hmmm...is it possible that Top Cat or his little brother is the cat in "Feathers for Lunch"?

That aside, the pictures in this wonderful book allow a child a good first look at several North American birds, and the text introduces your child to their birdsong. All the birds are "drawn" (I believe they are actually designed by paper cut), to actual life-size.

This is a wonderful little book for children to learn some common American birds and their calls. The story is about a cat trying to catch a bird for lunch but the bell on the collar keeps giving him away, hence "feathers for lunch" but the illustrations are almost all birds such as the Northern Cardinal, Blue Jay, Morning Dove, House Wren, Northern Flicker, etc... My little boy actually likes Ehlert's "Top Cat" better, but this story has seen many readings. My boy can tell the difference between several birds that he sees in his backyard. Recommended for the little birders.

As with all of Lois Ehlert's work, this is a bold, exciting, eye catching little work that actually teaches a child something while being extremely entertaining at the same time. This review in on the first edition hard cover of this book; one that if you can find you should purchase as it will last much longer than the soft back and as this is one of those books that will most certainly be given many reads and rereads, that is important.

This work features twelve of the most familiar of North American birds. The Northern Cardinal, Northern Oriole, Red-winged blackbird, Blue Jay, American Robin, Morning Dove, Ruby-throated Humingbird, American Goldfinch, House Sparrow, House Wren, Northern Flicker and Red-headed Woodpecker. The choice of these birds is important as they represent ones that are almost universally recognized and most can be seen on any given day.

Anyway, it would seem the cat got out of the house and is prowling for something "wild" for lunch, seemingly as his canned food is rather tame and mild. Not to fear though, as much as I hate to add a spoiler here, I must tell you that his hunt was quite unsuccessful and as the title would suggest, feathers are all that he was able to procure.

The illustrations in this work are actually quite amazing. The author has used different colored, textured and toned paper in a cutout fashion to create every picture in the books. I was actually quite amazed that she was able to represent each species of bird as accurately as she did. She certainly must have given her copy of Peterson's guide a workout, as she hits each and ever major identification point on each bird she depicts. Both extremely bright colors are perfectly blended with the more somber in a delightful manner. Plant life is given its due here with extremely accurate portrayals. Keep in mind here that all of the illustrations are indeed stylized but they do a surprisingly good job of identifying each and ever living thing addressed...including the cat.

The text is done in bold black print and rhymes. If you look close, you will find that the author has, in each picture, identified plants, flowers and birds with small notations; including a representation of the actually bird call. Each picture of each bird in the actual book is represented life size. The author has included a wonderful glossary at the end giving much more information on each species of bird covered.

This is a great read along book. It gives the reader plenty of elbow room to add additional information as it is read. It is a wonderful way to start a child at a very young age on the road to becoming a birder one day.

I can almost promise you that this will be one that you will be asked to read over and over again as it is a sure winner.

I do note that this one has been designated for children between the ages of 2 and 8. This is probably about right but 8 might be pushing it a bit.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

This is a fabulous book. The pictures are captivating and the story is entertaining. Perfect for interacting with your kids while reading (repetition, rhyming, predicting, & counting).

Feathers for Lunch, by Lois Ehlert, is an excellent book for young toddlers. The most important thing is that it does not have a lot of text that would surely bore the kid. Next, the graphics are great, and finally, the children have an opportunity to learn about nature and the names of birds if it is important to them.

So many Ehlert books, so little time. We love the pictures and the little tidbits of science in all of her books. Great pictures and a funny rhyme will have your preschoolers giggling about this kitty's foiled attempts at finding lunch.

My son, now 18 months, asks for this book every day. The cat in the story looks like ours. The story rhymes as you read it aloud. the pictures are very vivid.

We have never made it to the glossary at the back which describes each species of bird since my son has no patience for that part yet, but I look forward to that when he gets older.

I loved this book as a great intro to different kinds of birds that we actually see in our parks. But I think the story, as simple as it is, didn't capture my son.