Bird Talk

Bird Talk: Bird Talk: What Birds are Saying and Why

Written and illustrated by Lita Judge

48 pages, ages 6 -9

Flash Point/Roaring Brook 2012

“Chirp, warble, quack, coo, rattle screech! In backyards, meadows and forests, the air is filled with bird talk. But what are they saying?”

Lita Judge grew up with birds on her brain: she spent early mornings in the marshes watching hawks; she raised orphan birds; and she recorded bird songs in order to learn their calls. Now she acts as an avian-to-human translator, showing readers how birds sing to attract mates, proclaim their territory and call their chicks.

Some birds strut their stuff, banging and booming to let others know they’re in the neighborhood. Others dance, leaping and bowing in an elegant ballet. Not all birds are born knowing the family song; some youngsters learn to sing by listening to their parents. Then there’s the Robin, who can sing hundreds of different songs. Does he learn them all, or improvise?

Beyond the book: put out a bird feeder and watch how birds act; go outside and listen to the birds in your neighborhood; and check out the Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Read an interview with Lita Judge here.

November is Picture Book Month! Check out some of the activities here. Review copy provided by publisher.