Customer Reviews

Wild About Minnesota Birds: A Youth's Guide to the Birds of Minnesota

5 star:		(7)
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I bought two copies of this book intending to give them to my siblings who live in Minnesota. One copy never left my home because my three-year-old grandson loves it. He's too young to read, but he often grabs it for reading time instead of Dr. Seuss. He's learned the names of most of the birds, and each time we look at it with him, he asks new questions. He knows that we can find what sounds the birds make, what they eat, how big they are, etc. The pictures are page-size beautiful photographs, not just drawings. The format is colorful, easy to use, and geared for young people (but our interest age ranges from 3 to 60!). Warning: you may find yourself investing in bird feeders.

I bought this book for my son, but I spend as much time delving into it as he does, and it is one of the books he has taken to carrying with him on road-trips. It is subtitled "A Youth's Guide to Birds of Minnesota", but if you are an "adult," don't let that stop you from reading this book. I happen to like a generous helping of pictures with my facts, and I enjoy reading information presented to me in a format with colorful graphics and sidebars. This book provides all of that while offering up a healthy dose of bird info - the birds' common and scientific names, size, markings, general meanings of calls, natural history, habitat, diet, life cycles, time of activity, migration, nesting, flight and movement specifics, locations, and fun or gross (yet always interesting) facts. We also have the NAS Field Guide to Birds (Eastern) which also has beautiful pictures and lots of info, but "Wild About Minnesota Birds" is the one we run for first.

We checked this out from the library, but will be owning our own copy soon. I was so impressed with the layout and format of the book - a colorful, picture-filled book with just the right amount of info for each species. It's just right for both kids and grownups. I like to see scientific books that take children and their interests seriously: the pictures and fun facts are great for learning, and it's not dumbed down at all. This will be the only birding guide we'll need for many years.

My daughter is 3 and just loves feeding the birds and watching them every day. I fell in love with this book because it is very kid-friendly and has interesting facts with awesome color pictures!

This is an excellent bird book for both children and adults. I recommend it for any family that likes to bird watch. Also, I was very impressed with Amazon as I had a speedy delivery and the book arrived in great condition.

This is a great bird book for beginner adults. The format is intriguing, the photographs inspiring, and the information comprehensive. It travelled to Minnesota with us on vacation, and although my 6 year old granddaughter and I had fun watching the pelican perched on a lake rock and reading about it, I also had fun researching the birds I was seeing out my cabin window. Most of these birds are also Iowa birds, so as I watch my bird feeders, I can consult the book so I know what I'm watching.
I have given these books as gifts, and they are much appreciated by adults and children. If Ms. Porter had added a chapter on how to keep the squirrels out of the bird feeders, I'd be even happier! Great book.
Pat Larson

We love this book in our home. My daughter has loved watching birds since she was 6 months old looking out into our backyard. We moved about 6 months ago and she has missed watching the birds. Now she walks over and grabs this book every day- she can say hawk, eagle, snowy owl, turkey, pheasant, chickadee and probably a few more- and she just turned 18 months. Her grandmother and her look thru it a few times a week and just love to look at the pictures. I'm sure as she gets older she'll appreciate this book more and more. I love that it highlights some of the most interesting facts on the photograph page and goes into more detail on the opposite page. I also really appreciate that they include a picture of the male and female of most species that differ in coloring. We love this book in our house.