Kate Samworth

My grandmother lived on the edge of Rose Canyon and took it upon herself to provide a safe haven for the wildlife that lived there too. Primarily that meant birds: mourning doves, house sparrows, house finches, and migrating birds. She had a twice daily ritual where she would put out food and water for the birds, including inside a self built aviary made from chain link fencing so that the little birds could eat in safety if the hawks and other raptors were circling.

Although bird diversity in her backyard wasn't very high and even though she knew all the species that visited by heart, she maintained a small library of birding reference books by the sliding glass doors. Of course these books had dozens of other types of birds from all over the area. To me these books seemed like catalogs of exotic, magical creatures.

It's that sense of wonder that Aviary Wonders Inc. Spring Catalog and Instruction Manual by Kate Samworth captures. Here is a build your own bird catalog. These are high end, luxury robotic pets for bird connoisseurs of the near future.

For children of the present, the book includes facts about birds and their variable anatomy: beaks, eyes, wings, bodies, feathers, tails, feet, etc.

The catalog is gorgeously illustrated with oil paintings that rival the color plates of my grandmother's old field guides. It's perfect for any budding birder or robot builder!… (mehr)