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Odd Birds: Meet Nature's Weirdest Flock
Meet nature’s oddballs in this charming board book about some of the most unique birds in the worldBackyard birds—move over! Odd Birds introduces babies and toddlers to unusual bird species, including the magnificent frigatebird with a bright red throat pouch and the California condor—the largest flying birds in North America! Gentle rhyming verses provide the comforting repetition that little ones crave, even as their minds are opened to new and fascinating creatures from around the world. At the end of the book, readers will find photographs of each bird, along with more detailed factual information. The eight birds featured are the magnificent frigatebird, blue-footed booby, shoebill stork, ostrich, hoatzin, oilbird, California condor, and burrowing owl.
22 pages, Board Book
First published June 14, 2022
2 people are currently reading
111 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
April 15, 2022
I write long reviews for books that are intended for very small people. I do this because I am of the opinion that just because the intended reader is younger than me, that’s no reason to give their books short shrift. Children’s books have to be the best possible books because our kids deserve no less. Now, inevitably, I’ll write a seven or eight paragraph review about a picture book and post it online and then some digital wag will come along in the comments and inform me that my review is “longer than the book”. This is not really news to me as I wrote all of those words myself. There’s always this assumption, though, that if a book is short then there’s not much to say about it. That’s often true of bad or (worse) mediocre books, but if you’ve a good one in your hot little hands, there’s no end to the things you can say about it! I’m just setting you up here, and you probably know it. I don’t do it very often, but sometimes, when the right one comes along, I’ll even review board books. This is a rare occurrence because, if I’m going to be frank with you, truly great board books are very difficult to find. You might locate one or two every year if you’re lucky. I, myself, am lucky. Lucky, because I have discovered the wonder and beauty of Laura Gehl and Gareth Lucas’s Odd Birds. Mixing jewel-like tones with simple words and marvelous backmatter (board book backmatter is a thing now!), this is the extremely rare successful nonfiction board book that’s developmentally appropriate for its target audience. In other words, a unicorn.
What are the oddest birds in the world? The competition's stiff but author Laura Gehl has some answers. Feast your eyes on eight of the wildest avian beauties you ever did see. From the frigatebird's balloon-like red neck to the beak of a shoebill stork to an oilbird's echolocation, each bird gets a marvelous full color two-page spread in pulsing colors. Gently rhyming text wraps the whole thing together and backmatter consists of photographs of the real birds with further information.
What is the worst kind of board book? There are lots of contenders out there. Unsuccessful picture book to board book transitions are one form of failure. Have you ever seen the board book version of Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs? Textbook ridiculousness. Mind you, that came out a while ago. These days, publishers have mostly figured out that not all picture books are meant for small, thick pages. Unfortunately, that hasn’t stopped them from cramming other board books full of developmentally inappropriate information. The more recent trend? Nonfiction board books. The Smithsonian is a good example of an institute that does this on a regular basis, though there are plenty of others that are equally guilty. They’ll just cram the pages of a board book full of text. Concepts that would float over six-year-old’s head are squeezed onto board book sized pages with little to no editorial reductions. I loathe such books. Even when there are wonderful photographs involved, the text can prove to be an obstruction. One might despair of there ever being any good nonfiction board books out there at all. This is where Gehl and Lucas set out to prove folks like me wrong. Because when you look at Odd Birds or their previous collaboration on Odd Beasts, you realize pretty quickly that not only is it possible to do such books, but necessary.
Board books are, as a rule, the oddities of the children’s book world. They don’t win awards. They’re often treated as afterthoughts. And the degree to which our board book market is dominated by French imports indicates to me that we Americans simply don’t view them as significant moneymakers (since they’re so much cheaper than any other kind of children’s book) and therefore consider them of less interest. Babies may deserve the best books out there, but babies apparently don’t deserve high quality books on their level. That’s part of why I love Odd Birds so much. Look at the cover for a minute here. What do you see? Do you see a huge pair of eyes staring into your soul? Yeah, you do! And do you know what babies like? They like faces, folks. They like eyes. This cover is compelling to even an immobile drooler, and (almost as important) it is also compelling to adult readers. Good thing too, since a board book is designed to be read repeatedly, over and over, until all sense or meaning has been lost and the syllables just run together in your sleep-deprived brain. Probably a good idea to get board books that are actually interesting then, yes?
Naturally, looking at this stunning art, I had to figure out who the heck this Gareth Lucas bloke was. Turns out he’s English, living in Essex, and his illustrations are described as incorporating a folk art style. A quick glimpse at his portfolio also reveals that he has a real yen for one thing: animals. I don’t think there’s an image on his Instagram page that isn’t bug, bird, or beast related. What sets Odd Birds apart from this other art is that he’s really dialed down the more cartoonish or exaggerated aspects. These birds may be rendered beautifully, but they’re also relatively realistic. Even the oilbird, which is viewed in almost an infrared style with sound waves radiating off of its own wings (can you tell that it’s my favorite picture in the book?), is portrayed realistically. Unfortunately, the limitations of board books mean that I have no idea how he creates this art. The odds are pretty good that it’s all digital, of course, and that’s fine. I just can’t begin to figure out how pixels can help you create the layers of beautiful tones and hues that you find on these pages.
It is easy, when faced with a beautifully illustrated book for kids, to play up the illustrator’s accomplishments and downplay (intentionally or no) the author’s contributions. Laura Gehl has been making picture books and easy books and board books for years. When I initially read her name, I knew that one of them had to be in my home. I had the distinct sense that I’d said her name aloud to my own children repeatedly. Finally, I went through her oeuvre and discovered that she was the person behind one of my favorite math-related picture books of all time, One Big Pair of Underwear, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld. In this book she carefully places down very few words and they’re always pitch perfect. To make this title flow (and, by gum, to rhyme too) she had to select the “odd birds” of the title. Then she had to figure out the order in which they appear in the book. Finally, she had to write the rather extensive backmatter to explain why, for example, a hoatzin smells like poop (a lengthy digestion process, in case you’re curious). It’s more work than your average everyday board book would entail but the end product is worth it.
I won’t linger on the photos in the back, even though I desperately want to. Suffice to say, they really highlight how accurately Mr. Lucas has illustrated this book. So here’s a question for you: What do you do with a truly beautiful board book? Are you the kind of person who feels that such a title would be wasted on the babies? I hope not. I actually keep a little box of the particularly wonderful board books my own kids have long outgrown. Stuff like The Swing by Robert Louis Stevenson, illustrated by Julie Morstad. You don’t have to be as weirdly obsessive as I am, but I suspect that after getting this book, you should be aware that it's a distinct possibility. You may find yourself reading it on your own for fun when you think no one’s looking. Or tucking it surreptitiously into your coffee table’s shelves for future reference. If you do, I support you in your weird obsession. When a board book’s a one in a million, you are not responsible for what you do with it after its purchase. And our babies never had it so good.
What are the oddest birds in the world? The competition's stiff but author Laura Gehl has some answers. Feast your eyes on eight of the wildest avian beauties you ever did see. From the frigatebird's balloon-like red neck to the beak of a shoebill stork to an oilbird's echolocation, each bird gets a marvelous full color two-page spread in pulsing colors. Gently rhyming text wraps the whole thing together and backmatter consists of photographs of the real birds with further information.
What is the worst kind of board book? There are lots of contenders out there. Unsuccessful picture book to board book transitions are one form of failure. Have you ever seen the board book version of Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs? Textbook ridiculousness. Mind you, that came out a while ago. These days, publishers have mostly figured out that not all picture books are meant for small, thick pages. Unfortunately, that hasn’t stopped them from cramming other board books full of developmentally inappropriate information. The more recent trend? Nonfiction board books. The Smithsonian is a good example of an institute that does this on a regular basis, though there are plenty of others that are equally guilty. They’ll just cram the pages of a board book full of text. Concepts that would float over six-year-old’s head are squeezed onto board book sized pages with little to no editorial reductions. I loathe such books. Even when there are wonderful photographs involved, the text can prove to be an obstruction. One might despair of there ever being any good nonfiction board books out there at all. This is where Gehl and Lucas set out to prove folks like me wrong. Because when you look at Odd Birds or their previous collaboration on Odd Beasts, you realize pretty quickly that not only is it possible to do such books, but necessary.
Board books are, as a rule, the oddities of the children’s book world. They don’t win awards. They’re often treated as afterthoughts. And the degree to which our board book market is dominated by French imports indicates to me that we Americans simply don’t view them as significant moneymakers (since they’re so much cheaper than any other kind of children’s book) and therefore consider them of less interest. Babies may deserve the best books out there, but babies apparently don’t deserve high quality books on their level. That’s part of why I love Odd Birds so much. Look at the cover for a minute here. What do you see? Do you see a huge pair of eyes staring into your soul? Yeah, you do! And do you know what babies like? They like faces, folks. They like eyes. This cover is compelling to even an immobile drooler, and (almost as important) it is also compelling to adult readers. Good thing too, since a board book is designed to be read repeatedly, over and over, until all sense or meaning has been lost and the syllables just run together in your sleep-deprived brain. Probably a good idea to get board books that are actually interesting then, yes?
Naturally, looking at this stunning art, I had to figure out who the heck this Gareth Lucas bloke was. Turns out he’s English, living in Essex, and his illustrations are described as incorporating a folk art style. A quick glimpse at his portfolio also reveals that he has a real yen for one thing: animals. I don’t think there’s an image on his Instagram page that isn’t bug, bird, or beast related. What sets Odd Birds apart from this other art is that he’s really dialed down the more cartoonish or exaggerated aspects. These birds may be rendered beautifully, but they’re also relatively realistic. Even the oilbird, which is viewed in almost an infrared style with sound waves radiating off of its own wings (can you tell that it’s my favorite picture in the book?), is portrayed realistically. Unfortunately, the limitations of board books mean that I have no idea how he creates this art. The odds are pretty good that it’s all digital, of course, and that’s fine. I just can’t begin to figure out how pixels can help you create the layers of beautiful tones and hues that you find on these pages.
It is easy, when faced with a beautifully illustrated book for kids, to play up the illustrator’s accomplishments and downplay (intentionally or no) the author’s contributions. Laura Gehl has been making picture books and easy books and board books for years. When I initially read her name, I knew that one of them had to be in my home. I had the distinct sense that I’d said her name aloud to my own children repeatedly. Finally, I went through her oeuvre and discovered that she was the person behind one of my favorite math-related picture books of all time, One Big Pair of Underwear, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld. In this book she carefully places down very few words and they’re always pitch perfect. To make this title flow (and, by gum, to rhyme too) she had to select the “odd birds” of the title. Then she had to figure out the order in which they appear in the book. Finally, she had to write the rather extensive backmatter to explain why, for example, a hoatzin smells like poop (a lengthy digestion process, in case you’re curious). It’s more work than your average everyday board book would entail but the end product is worth it.
I won’t linger on the photos in the back, even though I desperately want to. Suffice to say, they really highlight how accurately Mr. Lucas has illustrated this book. So here’s a question for you: What do you do with a truly beautiful board book? Are you the kind of person who feels that such a title would be wasted on the babies? I hope not. I actually keep a little box of the particularly wonderful board books my own kids have long outgrown. Stuff like The Swing by Robert Louis Stevenson, illustrated by Julie Morstad. You don’t have to be as weirdly obsessive as I am, but I suspect that after getting this book, you should be aware that it's a distinct possibility. You may find yourself reading it on your own for fun when you think no one’s looking. Or tucking it surreptitiously into your coffee table’s shelves for future reference. If you do, I support you in your weird obsession. When a board book’s a one in a million, you are not responsible for what you do with it after its purchase. And our babies never had it so good.
Read
June 15, 2023Not sure how to rate this one since it's a board book. I think, as a picture book, I would give it four stars. The illustrations are very cool. But, I also think that some children in the board-book age group might find some of the illustrations a little scary. Story proper is just an illustration of the bird with one short sentence about it ("This shoebill's beak is huge" or "This hoatzin smells like poop") but the back matter includes actual photographs and few more sentences about each bird. While tots might enjoy the photographs, reading about things like a two-foot-long sharp beak used to kill prey (shoebill stork) or eating dead rotting animals (condor) might not be what you want for a bedtime read with your baby. Also, no sources listed.
July 8, 2022
The follow-up board book to Laura Gehl’s ODD BEASTS features birds that aren’t quite the ordinary birds we see in our backyards. These birds have odd names, weird features, different habits, and one even smells bad.
Kids love all things silly and even though these birds are silly on the page, the important lesson is these are actual birds. The two-page spreads are full of color with a mixed-media type of art and have large words easy for toddlers to see.
The end of the book offers a brief description of each bird and why it may have this unique feature. For example, the Hoatzin smells like poop to deter predators from eating it. The descriptions also teach kids where the birds live and other brief facts.
Little kids and parents (myself included) will learn from this fun book. The most important lesson is that we all have something that may make us odd or unique, but that is really what makes us special.
Kids love all things silly and even though these birds are silly on the page, the important lesson is these are actual birds. The two-page spreads are full of color with a mixed-media type of art and have large words easy for toddlers to see.
The end of the book offers a brief description of each bird and why it may have this unique feature. For example, the Hoatzin smells like poop to deter predators from eating it. The descriptions also teach kids where the birds live and other brief facts.
Little kids and parents (myself included) will learn from this fun book. The most important lesson is that we all have something that may make us odd or unique, but that is really what makes us special.
April 30, 2022
Vibrant illustrations of "odd" birds paired with simple text (5 words per page) make for a fun board book for toddlers and preschoolers. The older kids in this age range can learn even more about each bird featured at the back of the book, which includes real photographs. I love that real photographs are includes since the illustrations are quite stylized. It also provides opportunity to teach the children the actual bird name -- for example, Magnificent Frigatebird is detailed in the back but in the actual narrative is referred to as "this seabird..."
There isn't much too this, overall, but I think it's a fun way for bird-loving and animal-loving parents to introduce these interesting birds to their young children.
***Note: I was given a review copy of this book via Blue Slip Media. Opinions are my own.
There isn't much too this, overall, but I think it's a fun way for bird-loving and animal-loving parents to introduce these interesting birds to their young children.
***Note: I was given a review copy of this book via Blue Slip Media. Opinions are my own.
May 3, 2022
Laura Gehl's stunning new board book (releasing in June 2022) highlights a few of the world's most unusual birds. From the frigatebird's bright red pouch to the burrowing owl's life underground, young reader's will learn about some of the oddities existing amongst the world's bird population. Most of the book contains two page spreads highlighting one unusual feature of the chosen bird. At the end of the book, the author provides additional information about each bird, including name, where they live, and the purpose of their unusual features. Each brief explanation is accompanied by a photograph. This wonderful book showcases some of the wonders of the earth in a beautiful and enjoyable way.
October 9, 2022
Odd Birds introduces young children to some of the strangest birds in the world, first with just a sentence, and then with more detailed information.
Just the right amount of quirkiness to inspire some new birders among the young...
Just the right amount of quirkiness to inspire some new birders among the young...
April 15, 2022
With brightly-colored illustrations showing them up close, this board book features eight of nature's oddest birds, including the Magnificent Frigatebird, Blue-Footed Booby, and the Burrowing Owl. Brief text--only five words per page per bird--amplifies the characteristic that makes one of the birds a bit strange or startling; for instance, its smell or a colorful pouch or even having a bald head. Back matter then provides additional details about each of these weird but fascinating birds. Young readers will surely be inspired to find out more about them while returning to these pages over and over again. I appreciate the cleverness of the title, which fits the book's contents exactly. These surely are odd birds, indeed.
June 7, 2022
This board book is going to intrigue bird lovers of all ages. Laura Gehl introduces us to some of the most unusual birds in nature and Gareth Lucas’s colorful and playful illustrations make them come to life.
Your little one (and you, too!) will marvel to learn about a seabird with a pouch, a bird with blue feet, a bird that smells like poop and even one who lives underground. After you’ve read about all of these unique birds, turn to the back to find photographs and even more interesting facts about each one.
Thank you Blue Slip Media for sharing a review copy of this fun book.
Your little one (and you, too!) will marvel to learn about a seabird with a pouch, a bird with blue feet, a bird that smells like poop and even one who lives underground. After you’ve read about all of these unique birds, turn to the back to find photographs and even more interesting facts about each one.
Thank you Blue Slip Media for sharing a review copy of this fun book.
June 19, 2022
This sturdy board book features 8 unusual birds. They are each highlighted in a two page spread with a vibrant picture and a short one sentence text that highlights their most unusual or distinctive feature. The picture encapsulates the bird and its habitat. The final pages give more detailed descriptions of each bird describing that feature and why it's important/what it is used for.
A great way to introduce toddlers to birds outside the usual varieties and to start talking about why different animals have different types of feet/beaks/feathers, etc.
A great way to introduce toddlers to birds outside the usual varieties and to start talking about why different animals have different types of feet/beaks/feathers, etc.
November 2, 2022
As a birder from way back, I was delighted to find and enjoy this board book about "odd birds"! And oh, are they odd! The author, Laura Gehl, has chosen birds with special quirks--one lives underground, one smells like poo!--and introduced them in short simple text. Not only that, illustrator Gareth Lucas has created spectacularly colorful visuals of each bird. To top it off, there is a small photo and some facts about each bird at the back of this short book. Super for little ones to enjoy--and for their adults to read to them!
April 23, 2023
The genius of simplicity in both writing and illustration makes this book perfect for its intended audience (ages 3 and under). Nature's weirdest flock consists of birds easily identified by the unusual traits that distinguish them from other birds. The end of the story speaks directly to readers, making them the "odd one out." The final pages present an informational paragraph about each of the "odd birds" in this fun and educational book that will provoke great conversations with little ones.
June 16, 2022
This lovely book for young learners is beautiful! The illustrations of fascinating birds including the ostrich, hoatzin, and condor are vivid and stunning. Each page shares one fascinating characteristic from one highlighted bird. The facts are laid out in a lyrical rhyme that is fun to read out loud. I especially love the backmatter which includes further detail about each of the featured birds. What a gorgeous book!
June 21, 2022
I absolutely love the art style and species choices of this book! There's more information in the back. The only thing that kept this from being a five star rating was the note that California Condors are critically endangered. The rule with environmental education is no bad news before the third grade, and then presented with concrete ways to help. You want babies and toddlers to fall in love with condors without having to worry about saving them. That sort of anxiety can come later in life.
May 14, 2022
One of the best nonfiction board books I have read. It's simple in a board book appropriate was - short lines of rhyming text, small amount of information about each bird - but it's also so clever, fascinating, a little funny and offers extra information in the back of the board book including photographs of each bird. The gorgeous, eye catching illustrations are just icing on the cake.
August 9, 2022
A clever nonfiction board book about unusual birds. The gorgeous illustrations and rhyming text will introduce little ones to birds while also touching on preschool concepts like color, size, and senses. The additional informative backmatter with photographs makes this an excellent book to include in preschool units about birds.
January 5, 2023
An interesting variety of birds accompanied by very nice paintings: magnificent frigatebird; blue-footed booby; ostrich; shoebill stork; hoatzin; oilbird; California condor; and burrowing owl. A sentence about each bird appears on the main pages; the backmatter includes a brief paragraph about each bird accompanied by a photo
January 27, 2023
I love the illustrator Gareth Lucas' artwork. It really works to have one bird drawn large with one short sentence on each page spread. And then the back matter includes the name, photo and description of each bird illustrated. So, a nice, successful non-fiction book for Littles and I think birders would enjoy gifting this board book!
October 20, 2023
An interesting format for nonfiction where we are given one sentence statements with photographs about different birds. Then, the next half of the book gives an explanation with details about each bird from the first half of the book! A book that will not only teach facts about odd birds, but will also have kids laughing out loud about these strange creatures!
July 10, 2022
This board book introduces some of the world's oddest birds. The sparse rhyming text paired with the bright, vibrant illustrations are perfect for babies and toddllers. The back matter with photographs and additional information is great learning extension for young readers and adults.
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January 12, 2023Loved this one! Simple like a board book but with more information at the end if you're interested. Even rhymes. The pictures are so eye-catching, and the author did a great job of picking out birds that would be so. Now I want to read Odd Beasts!
March 30, 2023
I loved this nonfiction board book for its simplicity, beautiful illustrations, humor and inclusion of real pictures and information at the end. This book is on the 2x2 reading list and I can’t wait to read it with my students
June 25, 2024
This *BOARD* book taught me some things about birds. My toddler loves it and has picked it out from the library multiple times. It is well suited for kids, and even though it’s a nonfiction book, it is fun to look at and read.
July 30, 2025
While I thought this would be a longer non-fictional book about odd birds (It actually is very short), I still enjoyed it with my kids, specially because we did get real pictures of the birds at the end of the book.
The illustrations are beautiful and bright colored.
The illustrations are beautiful and bright colored.
May 8, 2022
A brightly colored board book introducing eight unusual birds--the frigatebird, blue-footed booby, shoebill stork, ostrich, hoatzin, oilbird, California condor, and burrowing owl.
August 11, 2022
Learn about bald birds, stinky birds, and even birds that eat crocodiles.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 21, 2022
Gorgeous pictures. Useful back matter with real photos of the featured birds, and a bit more info on each one, which I appreciated. I'm not sure why it's in board book format.
September 28, 2022
I'm not really a bird person, but I appreciate that this expands on each bird featured, rather than just including them to fit in the story.
December 15, 2022
"since you have no beak and are missing feathers too, perhaps the birds all think the odd one out is..." Beautiful illustrations and a sweet introduction to some unique birds.
February 13, 2023
Good toddler time/baby storytime book. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the illustrations by Gareth Lucas.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews