Book of the Week: My Book of Birds

My Book of Birds

by Geraldo Valério
Published by Groundwood / House of Anansi Press, 2016
60 pages
ISBN: 978-1-55498-800-6
Age 6 and older

Geraldo Valério’s lifelong love of birds inspired this enticing album of 50 North American birds, many of which he’d never seen until moving to Canada from Brazil. “Learning about birds makes me happy,” he notes in his introduction. His delight is evident and infectious on every page of this volume that combines eye-catching, colorful collage art with conversational text providing brief descriptions of each bird in language that is both appreciative and precise. “This sweet little bird is lively and curious,” he writes about the Black-capped Chickadee. Common ravens are “skilled and daring in flight.” And “if you are lucky on a summer day, you might spot the bright male Scarlet Tanager high in an eastern treetop.” The collage art of the birds with elements of their natural settings was created with recycled paper from magazines and gift wrap. Endpapers featuring eggs and feathers (not to scale, it is noted) add to the immense visual appeal, while a brief glossary and list of sources and places for more information are included along with an index in a book that is accessible in different ways for a wide range of readers. ©2016 Cooperative Children’s Book Center