A Peek at Beaks: Tools Birds Use

Beaks rule! Hummingbirds have beaks that act like straws, drilling down into a flower deep enough for their tongues to connect with the nectar. Flamingos have beaks that act like strainers. Sandpipers in effect have a pair of scissors on their faces. Other beaks are like fishing nets, tweezers, nutcrackers, tongs, knives, and jackhammers.

A Peek at Beaks is creatively structured: One page asks a question such as “What kind of a bird has a very long and skinny beak that works like a pair of needle-nose pliers?” A colorful silhouette of a bird with, in this case, pliers at the end of its beak, accompanies the question. The next page identifies the bird with a detailed illustration, and includes other birds with the same beak-feature. Beaks also serve other bird-purposes, including providing air-conditioning, food-summoning, and showing love.

This is a fun book which will encourage children to become more aware of their natural environment by identifying birds and learning something about their adaptations. A Peek at Beaks: Tools Birds Use is written by Sara Levine and illustrated by Kate Slater. It is aimed at readers ages 5-9 and comes in at 32 pages. It will be published by Millbrook Press in September of 2021.

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