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Author: Carol L. Malnor and Sandy F. Fuller Illustrator: Louise Schroeder
Retail Price: Paperback • $8.95 | Hardback • $16.95 Want to inspire youngsters to appreciate birds? The BLUES books are the ticket. As one major reviewer said, it’s “a lighthearted romp with solid information on birds and bird-watching that could inspire future ornithologists.” The BLUES are five little cartoon bluebirds, each full of personality, who love to travel, and everywhere they go they discover new birds—REAL birds, that is. Bird facts and birding tips are scattered throughout. Major birders and birding organizations have endorsed the BLUES series.
In the next in this series, The BLUES Go Birding at Wild American Shores, the BLUES follow in the footsteps of Roger Tory Peterson’s classic birding adventure. |
- Mom’s Choice Gold Award
“Five avian siblings go bird-watching across the United States to find the perfect song to sing at the White House Fourth of July celebration. There’s lots of action on every page with speech bubbles for each bird; practical bird-watching tips on yellow sticky notes; field guide information; and notebook diary-type entries by each sibling. Each spread is filled with colorful details and a lot of textual variety. The traveling birds are drawn in different outfits as they surf in Hawaii and see an albatross; fish in San Francisco Bay and watch ring-billed gulls; and wade through the Okefenokee Swamp on stilts to see a spoonbill before arriving at the White House. Many corny jokes will appeal to young senses of humor, e.g., “Don’t these humm-m-ingbirds know the words?” Uno, one of the brothers, concludes, “I guess fancy songs and flashy feathers always impress females.” Sammi corrects his slanted remark a few pages later in her own notebook, “Father Mallard had a bright green head. He doesn’t take care of babies, so he doesn’t need to be camouflaged.” This is a lighthearted romp with solid information on birds and bird-watching that could inspire future ornithologists.”
— School Library Journal (April 2010)
“The first in a planned series, this introduces readers to the BLUES, a bluebird band of five members. Their mission is to compose a new song for their first big concert on the lawn of the White House on the Fourth of July. To accomplish this, they are visiting the different regions of the United States and listening to the birdsongs in those areas. This clever concept introduces young children to the joys of birdwatching. Each spread includes a page from one of the BLUES’ notebooks as well as a page from a field guide. Taken together, these give readers some interesting facts about each bird. Birding tips scattered throughout will help aspiring birdwatchers successfully begin their new hobby. Backmatter includes a map of the United States marked with each bird’s location and a list of sources for further information. Schroeder’s BLUES are full of personality, each with his/her own strengths, interests, likes and dislikes. She keeps them easy to identify with accessories in their favorite colors, and the cartoonish main characters stand out well from the more realistically portrayed regional birds and their habitats. A creative introduction to a popular hobby.”
— Kirkus Reviews (April 2010)
Kids indifferent to birds won’t be once they meet Bing, Lulu, Uno, Eggbert, and Sammi, adorable bluebird siblings that thrive on adventure. In The BLUES Go Birding Across America, the first of a series, the feathered family travels coast to coast in search of a new sound for an upcoming singing performance. In Alaska a majestic bald eagle with a penetrating stare awes them, but its cacophonous kak-kak-kak call won’t work for their tune. Neither will a mockingbird’s mimicry. “Let’s not copy a copycat,” says Bing. Throughout the trip, the tubby siblings—each dons a trademark color—quip in thought-bubble form, while also updating a notebook with observations about their talent search. “Mother Mallard was very protective,” writes Sammi about waterfowl swimming in the Charles River’s dark waters. “She was mostly brown, so she and [her] babies could easily hide, or be camouflaged, when on land.” Additional field guide-worthy information on every other page offers more bird facts to educate young readers swept up on the journey. Eventually the family finds its avian American Idol—a robin—and puts on a smashing performance. Kids will look forward to the encore: book two, when the BLUES fly off in Roger Tory Peterson’s footsteps.
— Audubon Magazine (May 2011)
