A Guide to Southern Arizona Bird Nests & Eggs (Paperback)

by Pinau Merlin (Author), Narca Moore-Craig (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 4-Prickly Pete is an anthropomorphic packrat that helps readers explore the desert, determining which pieces of information are true. A question about a plant or animal at the bottom of each spread invites a fact-or-fallacy response. Are javelinas wild desert pigs? Do stink bugs stink? Can a dead rattlesnake bite? After turning the page, readers learn the answer and a little information about the topic. The final spread gives the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum's Web site and encourages readers to visit it to learn more about the 11 featured plants and animals. The site displays illustrations from the book as well as links to provide a plethora of information on each subject. The conversational text, in concert with its brightly colored, full-page illustrations, will capture the attention of readers with its playful blend of information and silliness and, along the way, dispel fallacies about the desert.
Helen Foster James, University of California at San Diego
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
... provides a unique and organized way to identify nests ... lovely pen and ink illustrations ... beautifully rendered colored egg illustrations. -- Southwest Books of the Year, 2001

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Product Details

• Paperback: 182 pages
• Publisher: Arizona Sonora Desert Museum PR; 2nd edition (April 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1886679177
• ISBN-13: 978-1886679177
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 4.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,726,919 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One for the pocket, February 18, 2004

By	Carpalis (Tucson, AZ) - See all my reviews

Just why this attractive little book should have appeared on a library shelf in central New Jersey I don't know, but it's an unexpected treasure. Convenient in size and layout, beautifully illustrated by Narca Moore-Craig and with handsome color photos of birds at the nest, this booklet will definitely be added to my own traveling library as soon as I'm back in se AZ. The brief descriptions of nest site and character should make it possible to plausibly identify even unattended nests, and the short, clearly written sketches of each of the 50-some covered species' life histories are full of precisely the information that birders (well, I, at least) so easily forget. Well done, and highly recommended.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Praise for Merlin's Guide, June 3, 2001

By	Melinda Papp (New York, New York USA) - See all my reviews

A must for everyone who enjoys bird watching and takes pleasure in studying and observing nature. Nicely organized and easy to use. The book teaches you how to look and catergorize bird nests, creating formulas which can then be applied anywhere you travel. The basic principles set a very good standard for all future guides. In addition, there are numerous and facinating entries about various species. For instance, the cow bird, never building his own nest and laying an egg a day in other species nests who then do all the work of incubating and feeding. While some birds make layered nests with a warbler observed being 6 layers deep. The comparative facts, for instance the Anna vs.Costa hummingbirds, were very interesting and helpful for field study. Excellent for both the novice and the more expert. The information, photographs and excellent drawings only make you want more.