The bush birds by Bridget Farmer

A beautifully illustrated hard cover book about a dozen Australian bush birds will see young readers using the end pages with its hints about recognising birds to go out and see for themselves.

After describing each of the birds: what it eats and its habitat, comes an exciting look at the attributes of each bird and how to spot them in the wild. Beak shape, time of the year, the numbers of birds seen and location all give clues as to what species of bird has been seen.

The first two dozen pages are devoted to the birds' descriptions. Wth a splendid illustration, each bird is drawn concentrating on its back shape, colouring, and how it uses this area for food and shelter.

The chough, for example is shown in a social group, some of which are on the ground. These birds prefer being together and are often seen scavenging food which may lay at their feet. Their stunning call is mournful and can be heard a long way from where they are.

The accompanying illustrations, done mainly in sepia brown and green colours, are wonderful, giving an intense look at the birds and their surroundings The Australian bush is shown with all of its glory, the different leaf shapes, the barks and gum nuts will all be easily recognised by the readers eager for more information and search for examples themselves.

I love the last endpaper giving a host of leaf and flower images, ready for the children to hunt for them in their part of the woods.

Themes: Australian bush, Australian trees, Birds, Verse.

Fran Knight