My First Book of Garden Birds

A delightful first introduction to common birds and how to identify them. Artwork is used here rather than photography. At first glance it would be easy to dismiss the soft treatment as making the birds look somewhat cute and ‘disneyfied’, but on further examination you realise that wildlife artist Rachel Lockwood has cleverly teased out the essence of each bird for a young audience, emphasising its characteristic behaviour. We see a wren giving its startled alarm call, a coal tit pecking at a feeder, a sparrow taking a bath in a gutter. We are given clues about each bird – a close-up view, a silhouette or a rear view, plus a few details about its song or how it uses its beak – and then asked to guess who it is. More detailed information is given over the page on each of 20 common birds. A short glossary and details of RSPB websites are also included. An excellent introduction to the wildlife in your own backyard.