New Zealand’s Backyard Birds

This book would be a great addition to any school library, hopefully inspiring many NZ kids to create more bird-friendly environments.

The book’s opening pages give a brief introduction to the evolution of birds and some facts about record-breaking birds that we don’t see in our backyards. A few pages are dedicated to explaining the parts of a bird and their nests. There is no index in this book but a table of contents at the front makes for easy access should the reader want to find out about or identify a particular bird.

24 of our most recognisable birds are featured in this book, each with beautifully detailed illustrations showing different poses e.g. flying, eating or roosting, along with information about their eating habits and habitats. The author distinguishes between our native birds and some introduced species such as the Myna, brought to NZ to eat insect pests but has now become a pest itself. The headings for each bird are in bold large type and where appropriate, translated into te reo Māori.

This book is not designed to be a definitive work on NZ birds, but younger children with an interest in their local environment will find this a helpful and inspiring book to further that knowledge and interest. The author has given us a few tips, from feeding to planting, on how to encourage more birdlife to enjoy our environment.

Title: New Zealand’s Backyard Birds

Author & Illustrator: Ned Barraud (lives in Te Whanganui-a-Tara/Wellington)

Publisher: Potton & Burton

ISBN: 9781988550305

RRP: $21.99

Format: Paperback

Publication: 25 November 2021

Ages: 6-12

Themes: Appreciation of birds in NZ environment

Reviewer: Nova Gibson, Librarian, Massey Primary School, Auckland

How are you recommending this book? Recommended

Opening sentence: Did you know that the birds found in your backyard have ancestors that were dinosaurs?

You can buy this book here