Review by Kirkus Book Review
Bird-watching is popular during the day when we can see birds out and about, but did you ever wonder how and where birds sleep once the sun goes down? In this collaboration from married couple Obuchowski and Pedry, each spread presents one or two bird species (all labeled with common name, Latin name, and country) and a short bit of text about how those birds sleep. Tree swallows in the U.S. congregate in huge numbers; their dancing ribbon is a sign that it's bedtime, and when completed, they rest in reeds. Vernal hanging parrots in Thailand sleep hanging by their feet from branches. Curved-billed thrashers in Mexico make their nests in cactuses for protection against predators. Other birds sleep while flying, get rocked by the ocean waves, snooze while perched on one leg, or take over (or share) the abodes of other animals. Pedry's artwork is a definite highlight, showing both the birds and their habitats. (Kids with sharp eyes may question, though, why the barn owl, labelled as being from the United States, appears to show up in scenes from Africa; there are some owl species that live in Africa as well, though this isn't addressed in the text.) Share this one-on-one or in very small groups so children can see the details--it's clear from the illustrations that it's night, and that sometimes washes out the birds. Young bird-watchers may perk up their eyes at dusk to see if they can spy any resting birds. (what is sleep, are birds losing sleep over climate change, the story of this story) (Informational picture book. 5-10) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
