Backyard Birds (Peterson Field Guides for Young Naturalists) (School & Library Binding)

by Jonathan P. Latimer (Author), Karen Stray Nolting (Author), Roger Tory Peterson Institute (Illustrator), Virginia Marie Peterson (Foreword) "A combination of one of the seasonal symbols and your ecoregion's colored dot shows you when you will be likely to see a given species..." (more)
Key Phrases: North America, Great Plains, Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-7-Field guides that offer tips on identification. Backyard Birds features types "...you are likely to see where you live"; Birds of Prey, the "...swift and often silent hunters..."; Bizarre Birds, North American birds with a unique characteristic; and Shorebirds that can be found "...near the bodies of fresh water and salt water in North America." Each guidebook includes a rather subjective selection of about 20 creatures. The organization of material is different in each title: the backyard birds are grouped by color, the raptors by size, and the bizarre birds by such characteristics as odd bills. The shorebirds are arranged by where they are likely to be seen-the air, water, ground, or grass. A two-page entry for each creature instructs readers on how to recognize it and provides a solid introduction to individual characteristics. Although the information is clear, there are some omissions. For example, three of the texts stress the importance of knowing the size of the bird as a clue to its identification but neither measurements nor range maps are included. However, bright, full-color photographs and drawings clearly indicate distinguishing features. Useful, accessible additions.
Frances E. Millhouser, Chantilly Regional Library, VA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From Scientific American
From the new series "Peterson Field Guides for Young Naturalists," Backyard Birds is a wonderful handbook for the novice birder. Whether your young bird-watcher is a curious casual observer or a more systematic collector of sightings, he or she will find this guide informative and easy to follow. Featuring illustrations by the famous naturalist Roger Tory Peterson, the book gives a simple, nonthreatening introduction to the Peterson system of bird identification (essentially a set of drawings and questions that help birders look for particular identifying features). There is enough information here to help readers identify 20 backyard birds common to most parts of the U.S. and Canada. A short course on the Peterson method encourages readers to observe the size, shape, color and markings of each bird sighted, as well as its habitat, call and behavior. Armed with this information, the reader can then solve the puzzle of what is flying around in the backyard. Each chapter--as highlighted in the table of contents--shows birds of one predominant color, enabling the reader to turn to the right section and begin the identification process right away, regardless of previous bird knowledge. The chapters themselves each describe and picture one to four birds, including notes on each one's habitat, voice and food. Readers are advised to observe other identification clues such as the shape of the beak (curved or straight?), the length of the legs (long or short?), and the shape of the tail (rounded, pointed, flat or forked?). These can be difficult to note when the bird is far away or in motion, but it gets easier with practice. This book will have you paying more attention to and getting more pleasure from the birds you see every day, whether you are just out with the family or going on a walk specifically to look for birds. And there are bonus features that make the book even more useful: in the hardback version, the inside back cover of the dust jacket is printed with rulers (metric and English) that make it easier to judge a bird's size. And the index includes room for entries describing where and when the young birder has seen each species--perhaps the start of his or her life list of birds seen.

Joan Silberlicht Epstein --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• School & Library Binding: 48 pages
• Publisher: San Val (October 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0613145534
• ISBN-13: 978-0613145534
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,772,038 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fold-out laminated field guide with excellent drawings!, May 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Backyard Birds (Peterson Flash Guides) (Paperback)

This really useful field guide has great drawings of over 100 species found in neighborhoods in US and Canada. Has a simple system to instantly tell you the region and feeding preferences of birds, in other words, where you are most likely to find them. The drawings are beautiful, colorful and accurate, clearly showing the difference between male and female, and defining markings. I've enjoyed mine thoroughly!

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Alot of fun!, January 22, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Backyard Birds (Peterson Field Guides® for Young Naturalists) (Paperback)

My girls and I love this book! What a pleasure to be able to look out our window and now be able to identify the types of birds that live among us. We even now can recognize a bird by sound.

This book includes wonderful pictures with easy to read descriptions of the birds and their habits.

What a great way to spend time with each other having fun exploring and learning.

A book that can be enjoyed at any age.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good introduction for children to the field of bird watching., September 1, 2006

By	Felix A. Rodriguez "nature lover" (Lake Worth, FL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Backyard Birds (Peterson Field Guides® for Young Naturalists) (Paperback)

The Peterson guides are a well established in the birding world. I was looking for a good basic introductory book for my young daughter who, like me, enjoys bird watching. This book has a list of the most common birds that we're likely to see in our backyard. I like the way it's divided by feather coloration rather than by species or group of species. This makes it easier for a child to learn to identify the birds in a non-overwhelming way. I plan to buy the rest of the series for our family's field library.