"Of all wild creatures, birds are the most colorful and easiest to see. You don't need to travel to distant jungles or faraway islands. They live in our own backyards.... Birds are our neighbors. We should get to know them."
-- Robert Bateman
Internationally acclaimed wildlife artist and naturalist Robert Bateman has painted, sketched and enjoyed birds since he was a young boy. He shares his passion for birds and his unique talents as artist and storyteller in this informative introduction to birds for young readers and beginners at bird watching.
Backyard Birds abounds with Bateman's detailed sketches and full-color paintings of robins, chickadees, woodpeckers, blue jays, finches and many other familiar birds -- capturing their antics and beauty in a way that no photograph can.
The book includes brief facts about the different species, noted below, including their length, wingspan, weight, food, range, habitat and common calls. Bateman also provides his personal tips on identifying, feeding and finding birds.
The 36 bird families are:
Spreads on Migration; Attracting Birds to Your Backyard; The Cycle of Family Life; and Bird Senses (Eyes, Ears, Voice, Brain, Feathers) round out this beautiful book.
Robert Bateman began his lifelong education as an artist, naturalist and birder in the tree-filled ravine behind his boyhood home in Toronto. By the mid-1960s, inspired by the word of Andrew Wyeth, Bateman had turned to a more realistic style, taking as his subjects the wildlife he had long studied. Today his original artwork and limited-edition prints are sought by collectors the world over. Robert Bateman lives with his wife, Birgit, and his family on one of the Gulf Islands off Canada's western coast.
“It started with a black-capped Chickadee.” So begins renowned wildlife artist and naturalist Robert Bateman’s introduction as he describes the moment when he first became intrigued with birds at the age of eight. His interest in birds and birdwatching has become a lifelong passion. Now Bateman is eager to share his knowledge about birds with young readers and beginners at birdwatching.
Robert Bateman, together with coauthor Ian Coutts, shares observations about the variety of birds found in Canada. Each double-page spread features a full-page painting of a bird in its familiar habitat as well as facts about size, range, habitat, food, voice, characteristics and identification tips. Also included are sections on the cycle of family life, migration, and attracting birds to one’s backyard. In the epilogue, readers are cautioned about factors which harm birds and are urged to be pro-active in protecting them and their natural environments.
Bateman’s and Coutts’s respect for birds and the natural world and, in turn, their readers, is evident by their well-written and informative text. This book would be a useful reference in elementary school libraries. Although an index and contents pages have been omitted, there is a useful glossary, recommended reading list and website included.
Bateman’s detailed sketches and colourful, realistic paintings make this book a pleasure to explore. His lifelike illustrations of familiar birds makes us look closely in wonder at their beauty. That which we assume as “commonplace” is enhanced by his artistry so that we can appreciate anew our avian friends’ marvelous complexity.
Robert Bateman writes, “Of all wild creatures, birds are the most colourful and easiest to see. You don’t need to travel to distant jungles or faraway islands. They live in our own backyards... Birds are our neighbours, We should get to know them.” Backyard Birds: An Introduction will certainly help readers to do just that!
Source: The Canadian Children's Bookcentre. Spring 2006. Vol.29 No. 2.