Light as a Feather: Fifteen Phenomenal North American Birds

by Will Hillenbrand

Let your curiosity take flight with this nonfiction picture book exploring the world of North American birds from acclaimed author Will Hillenbrand.

Why are feathers so light? Why do woodpeckers drum? What should you do if you find an injured bird? Acclaimed picture book author Will Hillenbrand has the answers that are sure to make readers' imaginations soar!

In these pages you'll meet North America's most fascinating birds, like nature's drummers (the woodpecker) to its most dynamic dancers (the sandhill crane) and flashiest fliers (the blue jay), and more. Colorful maps explore the bird's habitats, and bright, accessible infographics invite readers to experience every part of the birds' world, from the brown pelican's seven-plus foot wingspan to the light waves that make bluebirds so blue. In this vibrantly-illustrated nonfiction picture book, the sky's the limit on what there is to learn.

Genres: Nonfiction, Birds, Picture Books, Art, Nature

43 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 3, 2026

About the author

Will Hillenbrand is an American children's book author and illustrator who has worked on over seventy books for young people. Raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, he was influenced by the stories he heard in his father's barbershop growing up. After taking a class in picture-book art while in art school, he decided to pursue a career in children's literature, combining his love of storytelling with his love of illustration. He lives in Terrace Park, Ohio with his wife, Jane, and their son, Ian.

Reviews

[Jill]

This is an outstanding bird book for any audience. It not only features gorgeous paintings by the author/illustrator for each of the 15 birds highlighted, but offers unusual and fascinating information about them that is not often reported.

For example, Hillenbrand explains how a woodpecker uses its tongue as a shock absorber by wrapping it around its skull when it pecks!  A blue jay, he tells us, may store anywhere between 3,000 and 5,000 acorns during a single autumn.  The long, visible "leg" of a Sandhill Crane isn't a leg at all; it is actually an elongated ankle. The bird's true knee and thigh are hidden much higher up under the body's feathers, meaning these birds essentially walk on their toes! Kestrels can see small prey from a distance the length of 27 football fields, or 1.86 miles.  When they hunt voles, “their favorite food,” the can see their urine in trails that reflect the sun’s ultraviolet light.  Astonishing!

In the back matter, under an index (a very welcome feature in any non-fiction book), all the birds are arrayed along the bottom of a two-page spread in scale to each other. There are also some great links for more information.

Evaluation: This excellent mix of ornithology and art will mesmerize audiences of 4 and up, and provide a valuable resource to keep on hand for birdwatching.

[Vera Godley]

Though designed and intended for the age 4 to 8 audience, Light as a Feather... is a book that will captivate older readers - older children and even adults - alike. The illustrations are lovely and present attributes of each bird beautifully with text that adequately provides educational information on the specifics of each bird. These are North American birds so the book will appeal to folks North of the Equator in the Western Hemisphere.

A good amount of information is provided so readers can identify the birds included in this collection and understand a bit about what they are like physically and in habit.

A sad note that I found throughout the book is the statement that "their populations have steadily decreased over time." Causation of this is probably removal of natural habitats - forests, etc. as well as climate change.

A must have book for the family that treasures our birds and wants their family to know about the different birds that might frequent their backyards.

I received a complimentary copy to facilitate a review. Opinions are mine, alone and are freely given.

[Colleen]

Author: Will Hillenbrand
Title: Light as a Feather: Fifteen Phenomenal North American Birds
Publication date: 2026
Category: TBD
Brief Annotation: Discover 15 birds native North America with brief facts on the bird's page and a longer article about something specific about the bird, such as why do Bluebirds look blue.
Themes: Birds, North America, United States, Canada, Mexico, water fowl, birds of prey/raptors
Ways to use this book with children: This could be used in science to talk about birds native to North America. It could also model a mini research project for older grades.
Diversity: N/A; it features different birds, but not necessarily the human variety.
Where/how you found the book: Searching for what is new at my public library

[Erin Buhr]

From endpapers to endpapers and everything in between is beautiful in LIGHT AS A BIRD. I absolutely adore Will Hillenbrand's bold and textured illustrations. At the back the author shares a brief art tutorial that I think could work well as a spring board for an art lesson.

If you are looking for a book for a bird lover or a Bird Unit, this nonfiction text is excellent. It shares 15 different North American birds. Each bird gets a spread that shares general states and the in depth answer to one question. For example, for the Eastern Bluebird the author asks and answers "What makes bluebirds so blue?"

A fascinating and curiosity inspiring nonfiction book about birds for kids.

[Louise Aamodt]

I read a lot of picture books about birds, but even so, this one surprised me over and over with fascinating new tidbits. Each spread features a different North American bird on one page, then the next page hones in on some aspect of that particular bird that also applies to other birds. Readers can find connections to STEM, ecology, geography, kinesiology, and practically anything they're interested in. The artwork is absolutely stunning; back matter explains more about the process behind the art, among other topics. A great addition to your birding collection!

[Martha Meyer]

Lovely art accompanies a text with lots of information about each bird, plus a short article about one aspect of the bird in question. For Sandhill Cranes, the author talks about banding and bird leg anatomy; for the American Goldfinch, the author talks about why some birds change color in different seasons. Lots of rich backmatter. The book illustrations came from a series of pictures that the author sent to a friend who was ill, but then it evolved into this book.

[Lynn]

Absolutely gorgeous! Fifteen common birds are presented in 2-page sections. One page is a breathtaking illustration and the facing page is packed with fascinating information about each featured bird.

Back matter includes information on how the illustrations were created and ample information on further resources.

A must purchase especially for STEM collections.

[Mary]

The art is beautiful and the information about each bird in this book is interesting. 15 different birds are featured in 2-page spreads.
The picture book format and enticing cover will attract a young readership. However the font is very small, and the text is dense for the typical picture book audience.

[Allison Haehnel]

Very detailed information about the fifteen selected bird species are provided with colorful and specific illustrations. This is best for budding orinthologists in upper elementary to junior high school. I adore the scaled illustrations on the end papers, but two typographical errors on page 28 keep me from marking this as a five star title.

[Diana]

A book with 15 birds but containing way more than that. I like how the author chose one bird to tell us about it but at the same time gave us information about a characteristic of bird in general.
Easy to read.

[S46354595]

Lots of very good birds in here. Especially love that my favorite the loon gets the last page :) I love it when they wail at night :) Freaks out the campers :) Freaks out the birds when I call back to them :) This is my one bird call I can do.

[Elizabeth]

An excellent nonfiction picture book introduction to a variety of bird species. Full of great information and beautiful illustrations.

[Michelle]

VERY informative! I learned a new fact about lots of the birds!

[Lexie Rawson]

Is the book based on solid research? Yes, this book is all about various birds, their migration patterns, fun facts, and more. It cites sources and provides more resources.

[Janet]

Having been a fan of the Ohio author and illustrator Will Hillenbrand for a number of years when I read two of his most recent titles, “Voice in the Hallow” and “The Winding Willow” I thought I had read his best work as both the titles have just the right amount of suspense for a great story time read. Now it seems having finished reading and then just looking at the art in “Light as a Feather” Mr. Hillenbrand perhaps has a career path for illustration of nature titles. The full page brightly colored illustrations of 16 birds in this title are post on perfection. I am a bird watcher and lover and not only are the illustrations captivating, but the one page information about each species offers unique information about each of the species. Interspersed through out the text is other bird facts like the diagram of the eight types of bills birds have which are adapted to their eating habits, for example grain eating, filter feeding, and raptoral. Then there are the end papers where each of the 16 species are in a line and scaled to size with each other.
Truthfully after reading this title I just wanted to do bird watching the majority of the time. I really enjoyed the art and info on the roseate spoonbill, the sandhill crane, and of course one of my all time favorites the American Kestrel.
Appended material is a section on shape drawing, a very touching author’s note, and great online resources for birds.
I am owning this title for sure!!!