Backpack Explorer: Bird Watch: What Will You Find?

by Storey Publishing

The third book in the Backpack Explorer series from the Editors of Storey Publishing invites budding naturalists to head outside for a walk — in the woods, a park, or right in their backyard — to spot feathered friends. Backpack Explorer: Bird Watch leads kids aged 4 and up through the basics of birding, from identifying common birds to learning about habitat and migration and listening for bird songs. The pages are packed with prompts and activities, including 12 interactive field guides (for common birds, nests, eggs, tracks, and more), sensory scavenger hunts, activities such as building a bird nest, matching games, and simple discovery zone pages about food chains and the life cycle of birds. Equipped with a real magnifying glass, stickers, and a birding log for recording sightings and encounters, this book is the perfect take-along for any nature adventure.

Also available in this series: Backpack Explorer: Beach Walk and Backpack Explorer: On the Nature Trail.

Genres: Nonfiction, Picture Books, Nature, Animals, Science

48 pages, Hardcover

Published April 28, 2020

Reviews

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

I have recently decided that birds are kind of creepy, with their pointy little beaks and soulless eyes, but if you have given this book to me as I child, it would have never left my side. I would have required a backpack, binoculars, camera, and snacks, and would have carefully removed the tiny magnifying glass and stored it away very safely. I would have studied the bird calls and the birds so that I could have identified them "out in the field", and would have dutifully played all of the bird games. The bird patch stickers at the end of the book? I would have diligently completed all of the tasks so I could have put those on the page, although I probably would have been stingy with the other bird stickers, and my brother would have eventually have stolen the page and put them on his lunch box.

My mother would have reluctantly let me smear peanut butter on a pinecone an hang it up in the yard, although she would not have bought me bird seed, which we didn't have in the house, suggesting instead that I roll it in cornflakes, which we did. She would have let me build a next out of sticks and dryer lint, as long as I didn't leave it on the porch. She would have told me to go make the bird calls for my brother, because she was busy.

There's a lot of good information in these pages about different kids of birds, nests, and food sources for birds, and I would have read that avidly, but it is the activities that would really have spoken to my "let's check all the boxes" ten-year-old heart. There is a good mix of photography and illustrations.

It is very helpful that this has a sturdier cardboard on the covers, so that the book will wear a little better in a backpack, but it does open and lay flat with little difficulty, for times when you need to consult it while looking at birds.

There are several other books in this Backpack Explorer series, including Bug Hunt, Beach Watch, and On the Nature Trail. I may have to go find Discovering Trees, because that was my big interest in high school after we had a 100 leaf collection project in my biology class. If you are already a birder, or just want to encourage a younger one, start packing a back pack now that includes Bird Watch, the Nat Geo Kids readers on various birds, Press' Bird Watch Book For Kids, binoculars, and an assortment of snacks to give to the young person in your life.

[The Silvan Reverie | Sarah Street · Rating 5 out of 5]

The entire Backpack Explorer series follows a similar format and scope -- part nature guide, part nature journal, and part activity book. These books would work well for a homeschool nature group or for interest-based learning. Note that each book is consumable with write-in pages and stickers to use.

Children will have an opportunity to learn about various bird-themed topics: parts of a bird, how do birds fly, what do birds eat, nests & eggs, and different categories of birds. Real photographs are included when possible which adds to the depth of experience.

Pages are included for children to nature journal or keep track of their observations. For example, stickers are provided in the back of the book for the child to add on to a specific page to sort of earn a "badge" for what they observed and learned. There are other pages that provided scavenger hunts or checklists for children to write in. In this case, children can bird watch and keep track of what types of birds they saw or on another page keep track of specific bird behaviors they witnessed.

In addition, there are a number of activity ideas for exploration, play, and nature engagement: make a bird feeder, build a nest, play bird-themed games.

Overall, this is a nice hands-on exploration guide that celebrates nature!

**Note: I was given a review copy of this book via Storey Publishing. Opinions are my own.

[Annamarie Carlson (she, her)]

Take this book on your next nature walk! Use the included guides to learn how to bird watch, compare feathers and bird calls, make your bird feeders and more. A well-designed book for young adventurers, that still functions without consumables removed to make it circulate in a library. All real photos featuring children only feature white kids.