If I Were a Bird

by Shelley Gill, Erik Brooks (Illustrator)

Overview

From the author and illustrator of If I Were a Whale, comes this colorful, rhyming board book that playfully features birds found in Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, and beyond.

Toddlers will love this fun introduction to birds, in this beautifully illustrated board book that shares facts about these amazing animals in an imaginative way.

If I were a bird
you know what I'd try?
Flying wing tip to wing tip
in a forest flyby!

I could be an ebony raven,
wind lifting my wings,
tumbling past treetops,
upside down of all things.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781632172112
Publisher:	Sasquatch Books
Publication date:	02/19/2019
Series:	If I Were
Pages:	22
Sales rank:	680,396
Product dimensions:	6.54(w) x 6.51(h) x 0.47(d)
Age Range:	3 Months to 3 Years

About the Author

SHELLEY GILL was the fifth woman to complete the Iditarod race. When she's not writing, Shelley travels to schools around the country where she covers a variety of topics—from whale watching to where her ideas come from. Gill was a founder and publisher of the Paws IV line of Alaskan children's books now owned by Sasquatch Books. The author lives in Homer, AK.

Erik Brooks spent much of his childhood in Anchorage where he explored the outdoors. He has illustrated several children’s book including Polar Polka and A Totem Tale.

Editorial Reviews

"A wonderful resource to spark and encourage children’s interest in the natural world"—Deanna Smith, Pender Country Public Library, NC


"I’m a sucker for nature books for kids, and this board book has wonderful rhyming and vivid illustrations. A book that kids will love!"—Carl Lennertz, Children's Book Council

From the Publisher

12/01/2018
PreS-K—Gill introduces different types of birds to young readers. Readers will learn about what different birds look like, where they live, and what makes them unique in dreamy, "If I were a…" statements, which are laced with facts about these majestic animals. The narrative has an inviting, rhythmic style that makes it great to read aloud. It also engagingly introduces children to a variety of new vocabulary words The welcoming text seamlessly couples with realistic illustrations of birds in various positions and environments. Each bird appears to pop against lovely backgrounds created with combinations of watercolor. Soft pastel colors give this a soothing look and feel. VERDICT A wonderful resource to spark and encourage children's interest in the natural world.—Deanna Smith, Pender County Public Library, NC

School Library Journal

2019-01-28

Young readers are introduced to a host of information on birds.

Rhyming text and attractive, realistic illustrations present information on flight and other bird habits as well as the names of quite a few. The information can at times be confusing. For example, the first double-page spread states "If I were a bird, / you know what I'd try? / Flying wing tip to wing tip / in a forest flyby!" Unfortunately, the illustration depicts but one owl in flight. Readers will be left wondering what "wing tip to wing tip" means. In another example rhyme takes precedence over clarity: "Geese and cranes follow trails / etched in memory flyways, / carved in currents and gales, / the planet's bird highways." It's hard to imagine many children in the target audience will be able to understand that stanza as describing migration—if they even know what that is. The companion book, If I Were a Bear, while also presenting its information in rhyming text and attractive, realistic illustrations, does not present the same shortcomings as its companion in introducing several kinds of bears and their habits. Young readers will learn that beyond brown bears and polar bears, there are blue bears and Kermode bears—black bears that are born white.

Ephemeral, unlike its companion. (Board book. 2-4)

Kirkus Reviews