Beaks!

by Sneed B. Collard III, Robin Brickman (Illustrator)

Young naturalists explore a variety of birds, their habitats, and how their beaks help them build, eat, and survive.  From the twisted beak of a crossbill to the color changing bill of a seagull, readers will learn fun facts about how beaks are designed and used as tools by birds of all shapes and sizes.  Bright, bold cut-paper illustrations create amazingly realistic tableaus of birds in their natural environments with their beaks in action. Back matter includes a comprehensive quiz, a bibliography, and a list of related websites.

Genres: Picture Books, Birds, Science, Animals, Nonfiction, Childrens, Ornithology

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Sneed B. Collard III (see also "Sneed B. Collard") is a biologist, world traveler, speaker, and author of almost one hundred books for young people, including the 2024 Orbis Pictus Award winner, Border Crossings (Charlesbridge Publishing). His other recent science titles include Fire Birds; Hopping Ahead of Climate Change; Little Killers; Waiting for a Warbler; Beaver & Otter Get Along . . . Sort of; and the upcoming picture book, Like No Other. Collard holds science degrees from the University of California at Berkeley and U.C. Santa Barbara. He lives in Montana.

Reviews

[Sneed III · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sneed, the author, here. Just wanted to weigh in and thank everyone for their remarkable enthusiasm for Beaks! The book was released twenty years ago, if you can believe that, and seems to be more popular now than it was then. This, I hope, also means there is greater interest in birds and protecting them--though it is also due in large part to Robin Brickman's timeless, amazing illustrations! If you liked this book, and want kids to learn even more about books, I'd like to suggest my other bird books BIRDS OF EVERY COLOR, WAITING FOR A WARBLER, and WOODPECKERS: DRILLING HOLES & BAGGING BUGS. Thank you, and keep on birding!
Oh, and to follow the birding adventures of me and my son, do check out our blog at fathersonbirding.com.
Thanks again!

[Eshtar · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best educational books for children. I loved learning about different beaks and their functions. I also really appreciate the mention of evolution and natural selection. I think it's very well written and entertaining, so kids won't even see the teaching coming. The illustrations are beautifully done as well! Definitely worth owning for your kids shelf!

[Antoinette Scully · Rating 4 out of 5]

Want to know why bird breaks come in all shapes and sizes? Have a bird lover in your family? This book is pretty cute.

[James Biser · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great exploration of the adaptation of beaks of birds. It describes the variety and adaptive qualities of different bird beaks.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the artwork and I learned a few things.

[Kelly Case · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given this book after learning about Beaks + Feet at the Elkhorn Slough. I love the illustrations and the educational facts. Fantastic new addition to my classroom science library.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great! Beautiful pictures and interesting words describe many different types of beaks and how birds use them. Both informative and interesting.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off I have to say I love the author's name. Second, this was a good book about beaks. Each page shows a bird with, surprisingly, a beak. There's a bold heading of a few words then smaller text to go into greater detail. Many different kinds of birds are shown with a large variety of beaks, some of which we'd never heard of before. The kids were really interested. It is a longish book and took us two days to read.

The pictures are absolutely amazing. They are done in paper and cut to look like real feathers. It's also very 3-D feeling. When we realized it was paper and not actual feathers we started the book over scrutinizing each page. It must have taken the illustrator years to create all these. I think the art is a lesson in and of itself.

Very nicely done.

[Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the title indicates, this book is all about bird beaks. It covers the differences in beaks and the reasons those beaks are different. There is also a brief discussion about biological evolution and how some beaks have changed over time.

I thought that this book was great. The pictures are really good; the text is very clear and thorough. There is even a short quiz at the end of the book to see if the reader can identify the uses of some beaks.

This would be a great text to use in discussing birds. I think an even better use would be when discussing biological diversity and evolution. There is a pretty standard activity on beaks for upper elementary and junior high, and this book would be a great companion for that.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn’t sure that my son would hold up for an entire book just about beaks, but we both found this one fascinating. It introduced a variety of beak types and what they’re used for — how different types of beaks are needed for seed gathering than for fish spearing or carcass tearing. The information was presented in an engaging way, and the bold, fun illustrations brought it all together in a wonderful way.

*****

If you'd like to read my full blog post about my favorite picture books about birds, click here

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Birds have no teeth.
No hands. No antlers, horns,
or spines. Birds have beaks.
And beaks are enough."

Short sentence in large type describing what types of beaks do best, and what birds use their beaks for. Longer, more detailed paragraph in smaller type describing the pictured bird. "Beak-ability" test at the end.

[Sue Poduska · Rating 4 out of 5]

Showing the amazing variety of bird beaks in colorful detail.