Doves

Children's Literature - Susan Hepler

Part of the "Naturebooks" series, this title describes the physical characteristics, behavior, habitat, and life cycle of jays. Useful features for report-writers are a table of contents, page headings, and a modest index plus captioned and close-up photographs of some of the 250 species of doves. Interesting features of doves include sucking water, a crop which helps doves process food, the unique making of "pyramids" to keep warm, and their role as ground feeders cleaning up what other birds miss. Embedded in the text is information about predators, typical foods, egg size and color, and specialized vocabulary such as "pigeon milk" or "squabs," which is then rounded up in a glossary. A well-composed and visually beautiful treatment of the topic.

School Library Journal

K-Gr 3-Children will flock to these attractive titles. Brilliant, full-color close-ups, many from the National Audubon Collection, appear on every spread and are accompanied by interesting and useful facts. The information goes beyond common knowledge, covering the birds' life cycles from birth to maturity. The photos provide a larger-than-life scale so that it is possible to see minute details of birds in the nest, feeding their young, and in their natural habitats. The large font and wide margins make these books easy to read.-Kim Donius, Alfred-Almond Central School, Almond, NY Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|