The Beak Book

Description

From Caldecott Honor illustrator Robin Page comes this striking nonfiction STEM picture book exploring the fascinating and surprising ways different kinds of birds use their unique beaks. Birds around the world have so many amazing kinds of beaks! There are short beaks and long beaks, straight beaks and curved beaks, flat beaks and even spoon-shaped beaks. But what do all of these beaks do? Discover how beaks of different shapes and sizes are adapted to help birds sip nectar, make nests, battle for mates, and more!

Robin Page has written and illustrated several picture books, including the 2003 Caldecott Honor recipient What Do You Do with a Tail Like This?, which she created with her husband Steve Jenkins, and her own A Chicken Followed Me Home!, Seeds Move!, and Shall We Dance?. Robin lives in Boulder, Colorado.

By zooming in on one of birds' most idiosyncratic features, Page reveals just what a multifaceted marvel a beak can be: "This beak is for drilling./ This beak is for scooping.// This beak is for shredding./ This beak is for clutching." Placed alongside a large, clean-lined illustration of a bird in profile, a declarative statement on each page describes what a specific beak can do. (Expertly captured field marks, rendered in vibrant, saturated color, pop against the crisp white background.) Page also offers a sentence explaining the declaration alongside an inset illustration showing the bird using its beak as described: "Using the expandable pouch that is part of its beak, the pelican scoops up a fish." A clear, concise, and engaging read for fledgling ornithologists. Back matter includes more species detail and a bibliography. Ages 3-8. (Jan.) -- Publishers Weekly *STARRED* * October 26, 2020 * If you thought beaks were just for pecking, think again. This picture book examines in piercing detail the astonishing adaptability of birds' beaks. [...] An unusual insight into one aspect of the amazing adaptability of birds. -- Kirkus Reviews * October 15th, 2020 *