Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Issuu. ( )

This book is perfect for young ones who want to learn more about birds and some of their facts. The text is more in poetic verse. The art is on the side of realistic and pretty. You get a sense of the birds in their environments. However, it is a bit too long. After a while, it gets tedious with so many bird options. ( )

Snow birds are birds that don’t migrate to a warmer climate during the winter months. Many of these birds have developed adaptations and behaviors to help them survive the cold, snowy weather.

Read the recently published picture book for youth, then learn more at the website:

SNOW BIRDS written by Kirsten Hall and illustrations by Jenni Desmond explores seventeen birds commonly seen in snowy landscapes. Each two-page spread examines a different bird that has adapted to the cold winter weather. Rather than focusing on scientific facts, the verse reflects the characteristics and habits of each creature. The book concludes with factual information about how each bird has adapted to the cold.

PROJECT FEEDERWATCH from The Cornell Lab asks participants to embrace the winter weather and count feeder birds for science. The website describes how to watch for winter birds and participate in the citizen science project. It also provides help in identifying birds.

To learn more, go to https://feederwatch.org/.

ARC courtesy of Abrams Books for Young Readers ( )

American author Kirsten Hall and English illustrator Jenni Desmond pair up in this poetic picture-book examination of snow birds - avian creatures who do not migrate south during the winter. From the blue jay to the snow bunting, the great gray owl to the cardinal, each bird is featured on a two-page spread, with a brief poem, plentiful onomatopoeia and beautiful artwork. An afterword gives more information about each type of bird profiled...

Snow Birds is the third picture-book I have read from the wonderfully talented Hall, who is (full disclosure) a personal acquaintance and friend, and the fourth from Desmond. I found it delightful, enjoying both the brief but clever poems and the lovely visuals. I don't know that I'd ever given much thought to the birds that stay around in winter, but as someone who has always lived in northern climes, I certainly appreciate their presence during that season. Recommended to young animal lovers and bird watchers, and to picture-book readers looking for works of natural history that are both poetical and educational. ( )

A picture book about birds that stay around in winter. Nice illustrations but somehow didn't fully grab me. ( )