Be a Citizen Scientist - Counting Birds

Heidi Stemple and Clover Robin have joined their talents to create an awesome book about Frank Chapman who had an idea - that idea was to promote a bird census on Christmas Day to replace the annual hunt that had become a tradition in many communities.  Chapman's idea and promotion of the Bird Count is credited for saving many species of birds.
I wondered what the audience for the book would be - as an adult I LOVED it.  But would the picture book set enjoy it as much.  So one morning I set down to read the book to a kindergartener that hangs around my house before school most days.  He has heard many books since he was a baby and definitely has likes and dislikes.  He LOVED it.  We named birds, talked about geography, talked about counting birds, what identifying birds meant, and learning bird calls, and he wants to count birds. I suggested we start as suggested in the book as bird feeder counters. Well he thought that might be too easy (I'm thinking it is not easy enough.). But we will begin this summer to "practice." And then he thought that his friends in his class will surely want to hear the book. 
We loved learning about Frank Chapman and how one person could make a difference - and the 6-year-old totally got that.The writing is accessible and informative but most of all interesting.  The art is magnificent and showcases Robin's artistic talents superbly.  And how fitting is it that an artist with the last name Robin has illustrated a book about birds?
Anyway whatever happens next, I love having material to get him thinking about being kind and thoughtful (including to birds) developing good citizenship, and being involved in doing something good. Never too early to begin and never too late to start - counting birds and reading.

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Stemple, Heidi E.Y.  Counting Birds: The Idea That Helped Save Our Featured Friends. (Young Naturalist).  Illustrated by Clover Robin.  Seagrass Press.
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Update 2019 -- Counting Birds was named the Northern Lights Award Winning title in the STEM category.  More information at the award website at:   https://northerndawnawards.com/2019-northern-lights-book-awards-winners/

Previously this book was named:

A 2019 Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students: K–12

- The National Science Teachers Association and Children's Book Council

A 2019 Green Earth Book Honor Award in the Picture Book category

- Awarded by The Nature Generation

A 2019 Best STEM Book for K–12 Students

- The National Science Teachers Association and Children's Book Council

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Read more about the author, Heidi Stemple on her website at http://www.heidieystemple.com/.  Follow her on Twitter @heidieys and Facebook as Heidi E.Y. Stemple.
Read more about the collage artist and illustrator Clover Robin, on her website at http://www.cloverrobin.com/.  Follow her on twitter  @cloverrobin; and on instagram @clover_robin, or on Facebook as cloverrobincollage.  

If you have other great books about birds, great field guides for identifying birds, or identifying bird calls or other great collaborative reads please post those suggestions in the comments.

And if you wish to have Quarto Books' great 8 page teachers guide to this book you will find a pdf of the guide on Stemple's website http://heidieystemple.com/downloadables/tg-counting-birds.pdf  (a free downloadable guide).

This book gets ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ five hearts.

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Collaborative reads/views:

Kid Time Story Time. (2018 December 20). Counting Birds - Reading for Kids (a STEM Christmas book). — a reading of the book by Heidi E. Y. Stemple, with interspersed comments by the reader. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/08aceCeWwtQ

 Public Broadcasting System (PBS). (2013, November 24). Counting birds. Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/video/counting-birds-counting-birds/ — a 56 minute narrative about the history of and the bird count origin and the contemporary counts in NH, ME, Ecuador, and Cuba. National Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count.

Richmond, Susan Edwards. (2019). Bird Count. Illustrated by Stephanie Fizer Coleman. Peachtree. Counting Birds: The Idea That Helped Save Our Feathered Friends. Illustrated by Clover Robin.  Quarto Kids.