Published by Beach Lane Books


Summary: Each page shows a large, colorful picture of a bird, a small picture of the bird using its beak, a sentence about how the bird uses its beak and a label identifying the bird. Beaks are used for straining, tossing, crushing, and a host of other activities. The final bird is a baby ruddy duckling who uses its beak, as do many birds, to break out of its egg. Includes a two-page spread showing silhouettes of each bird relative to a human, where it lives in the world, and what its diet is; also a bibliography. 40 pages; ages 3-8.
Pros: Over 20 birds are profiled, and the illustrations are striking. Readers will be amazed at how many different uses there are for a beak.
Cons: The information is pretty minimal; this is probably more of a read-aloud or a book to browse than something that will help much with research.