Description:
This book is all about how birds communicate through singing, dancing, drumming, fighting, etc. The pages are filled with different kinds of birds, including the North American Killdeer, the Peregrine Falcon, and the Blue Jay. While some of these birds are known for their songs, others are known for their elaborate dances. Some are even known for their deceiving ways of tricking other birds to care for their young. It is all a part of how these birds survive! At the end of the book you can find a list of featured birds as well as a glossary of terms.

Personal reaction:
I enjoy how this book introduces the reader to a wide variety of birds, some they may easily find in their backyard and others they might only see in a book or on television. It is a good introduction to how animals, specifically birds, have certain traits that allow them to better survive in the wild. The illustrations are beautiful and inviting.

Keywords/science topics:
birds, adaptations, predator, prey, mimic, species

A couple of uses:
- After introducing this book to the class, identify one bird that the class can easily go outside and spot. For example, I would easily be able to bring a class outside in Oregon and help them locate an American Robin. This would be a great way to introduce a class to how to make observations on living creatures like birds. Have students practice writing and drawing observations about what they see and hear.
- Use this book along with Living Color by Steve Jenkins to have students explore how different animals and insects have certain trains that help them to better survive in the wild. ( )

Overall: This book showcases how and why different birds communicate with each other. Sometimes birds communicate to protect themselves, to learn the sound of each other's voices, to find a mate, or to claim their territory. There are SO many birds in the book, which is great to spark curiosity and interest. I absolutely love the simple illustrations in this book.

Possible science topics:
-Animal behaviors
-Animal survival strategies

Strategies/uses:
-Since this book has so many different birds, this book could be used a jumpstart for a research project on how birds communicate.
-This book is divided up into reasons why birds communicate. How is this helpful to read? How can the book be easier to read?
-The first page, the author states, "In backyards, meadows, and forests, the air is filled with bird talk. But what are they saying?" How does this draw
the reader in?

Informational text features:
-Bolded words
-Glossary
-Summary of all the birds in the book

This book is all about how birds talk. It talks about the different types of birds and how they talk and also why they talk. It would be a good Scientific Inquiry question to get students interested about a unit on birds. It could be a good engage read aloud if you were going to do a unit on sounds or something to do with birds. It has a lot of different types of birds in the book so it is also a great informational text on bird sounds.

This book discusses the mating rituals and parenting techniques of twenty-eight different birds. Most of the birds have specific songs and dances to attract a mate, each trying to out do the next. The Palm Cockatoo, for example, swings his head like a rockstar and beats his tree with a stick to tell other birds to leave his tree alone. The books talks about all types of birds, Robins, Penguins, and Turkeys are included. It also talks about various ways birds camouflage themselves and how they communicate that danger is nearby. At the end is a list of the birds that were mentioned in the book and a few facts about the bird, including its habitat and range. The book also includes a glossary, reference list, and website for more information. Any student who likes to listen to birds sing or bird watch would enjoy this book. ( )

This book could prompt the discussion on patterns we see in communicating through nonverbal communication. This book shows a pattern in birds doing different things, such as stretching out feathers, to communicate to others. Students could look for similar patterns in other birds and even other species. This aligns with crosscutting concept #1: patterns. ( )