BLUES Go Extreme Birding

Awards

Reviews

A band of five cartoon bluebirds travel the world in search of record-setting bird species – the fastest, best mimic, highest flying, pinkest and more. This third in a series, which began withThe BLUES Go Birding Across America (2010), continues to promote bird-watching among young readers through the antics of bluebirds musicians Bing, Lulu, Uno, Eggbert and Sammi – each with identifiable characteristics and easily distinguished from the more realistic birds illustrated on the pages. Each of the dozen species is introduced in the narrative and described further through entries in a nature notebook and a field guide. “Extra Extremes” mention species that set similar records. Some of the birds may be familiar to young readers – the peregrine falcon, emperor penguin and ostrich, for instance – but others will be new. Their trip ends with a sighting of the horned sungem hummingbird in Brazil, an opportunity for the authors to promote an upcoming volume about the rain forest. The band’s trip is mapped at the end on a world map with labeled continents; a handy list reviews the species and notes where they were sighted. The facts have been vetted by a birding expert, sources are given in the acknowledgements and birding closer to home is encouraged. This is a clever extension of the series, taking advantage of children’s interest in records and in Xtreme sports of all kinds.

— Kirkus Reviews (February 15, 2011)

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The Blues Go Extreme Birding is another epic adventure in birdwatching with the five cartoon bluebirds, Bing, Lulu, Uno, Eggbert, and Sammi. This time the Blues decide to go extreme birding, trying to discover record-setting birds around the globe. The Blues Go Extreme Birding is designed to appeal to children ages 5-9, and is a wonderful invitation to explore the wonders of nature. As the Blues undertake their adventure tour, pertinent facts and data are presented in sidebar paragraphs, embedded in the fantastic and accurate illustrations. Each Blue has a different personality and specific interests and skills that help direct the successful birdwatching expedition. At the end of the book is an artist’s illustration of a global map with pictures of the unusual species of birds they saw and where they saw them. Further suggestions for interested young birdwatchers are presented at the end of the book. The Blues Go Extreme Birding presents many fascinating facts about the numerous species of birds encountered during the trip, providing excellent additional natural science education opportunities.

— Midwest Book Review (May 2011)

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Dawn Publications partners once again with authors Carol L. Malnor and Sandy F. Fuller for the third book in the “BLUES Go Birding” series, The BLUES Go Extreme Birding. Similar to the previous books in the series, this book balances appealing, creative elements with accurate, factual information that will spark readers’ curiosity and get them engaged in a new subject.

Bing, Lulu, Uno, Eggbert, and Sammi (the BLUES) are curious, adorable cartoon bluebirds searching for the most “extreme” birds they can find. As they travel from New York City to Brazil, they introduce readers to the fastest-moving, deepest diving, keenest-hearing, and even pinkest feathered birds, as well as other record setting birds. Along the way, their notes and field guide provides accurate and interesting facts about the featured bird, and an “Extra Extreme” gives a quick, one- or two- fact introduction to another bird with a related record setting skill or feature.

The authors and illustrators have successfully attempted to create a book that simultaneously grabs the reader’s attention with art and fictional elements and accurately educates. Clear efforts have been made to distinguish fact from fiction. For example, because of the consistent design, the reader would know that the “notebook” and field guide sidebars are the “facts,” while the speech bubbles are a funny, creative element. The facts in the narrative are more interspersed in the BLUES’s dialogue; however, it is
almost always Eggbert that gives the name and “record title” of the featured bird.

Although books with anthropomorphized, talking animals are sometimes dismissed as pure fiction, this book has two illustration styles which also helps emphasize the difference between fact and fiction. The bluebirds themselves are in a cartoon style, while the illustrations of the birds and their habitats are depicted much more realistically. Rather than a distraction, the little bluebirds act like quirky guides for the five-to eightyear-old reader, and the book would be most appropriate in the non- fiction section.

The first person narrative is slightly confusing, as initially it seems as though Uno is the narrator, but then later Uno is referred to by name, but this is so slight it most likely wouldn’t be noticed by the intended audience. Another wonderful feature is the map on the last page plotting the BLUES adventure, which clearly shows the featured birds in their respective areas of the world.

The authors have also included resources for readers to learn more, and an online site with tips for bird watching and education tools for teachers. The resources will allow children to take their learning to the next level, and fulfill the publisher’s mission of inspiring education about the environment and all the world’s amazing creatures.

— ForeWord Magazine – Alicia Sondhi -(March 2011)

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Dawn Publications, one of the nation’s premier publishers of children’s ecology books, is located in nearby Nevada City. Dawn’s mission is to inspire in children a deeper understanding and appreciation for all life on Earth. Since 1979 they’ve succeeded by publishing books of unusual beauty that help children and their parents understand nature, and how to honor and protect it. If these are values you’d like to share with your children, take a look at some of Dawn’s new books.

. . . Meet the BLUES, a band of bluebirds with their own book series. In this story, the BLUES visit “extreme birds.” First, they climb New York City skyscrapers to meet a peregrine falcon, the fastest creature on Earth. They next float in a hot air balloon as a Arctic tern – the champion of long-distance flyers – hovers next to them. Then it’s on to Antarctica to meet the world’s deepest diving bird – the emperor penguin, and a climb up the Himalayas to see the highest-flying bird, the bar-headed goose. There’s a hidden geography lesson every page and world mpa at the end showing where each bird lives. Visit the nifty interactive ‘clubhouse’ at www.thebluesgobirding.com where kids can learn more about birds and have fun at the same time.

— California Kids! Family Fun Guide – Connie Goldsmith (June 2011)

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Young readers will be captivated by the antics of Bing, Lulu, Uno, Eggbert and Sammi as the five bluebirds get together for another bird watching adventure. Children will learn about some of the world’s most interesting birds, like the Peregrine Falcon, the Arctic Tern and the Superb Lyrebird as the BLUES travel around the globe led by Sammi, who has an eye for adventure. Beautiful, vivid illustrations make this book a feast for the eyes as well as the mind.

— Kern County Family Magazine (May 2011)

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The Blues explore birds from extreme locations. A narrative of their story is included on one side of the page and trivia, a checklist, and scientific information about the specific bird are located on the other side. The illustrations are charming, and speech bubbles are included that allow the characters to help tell the story. Both the illustrations and scientific information will appeal to a wide age range of children.

— Oneota Reading Journal (December 2011)

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Rating: 5 Stars (EXCELLENT)
Have you any idea what the fastest moving bird in the world is? Uno, Sammi, Lulu, Bing, and Eggbert, the lovable BLUES, return to answer that question. The BLUES are a band of birds who like to sing. Sammi also loves sports, and when she reads about the X-Games in Birding News, she decides to enter an extreme event. So the five of them go off on a world tour, visiting every continent on earth, to look at some of the current world record-holding birds so that Sammi can find an event to enter.

Beginning in New York City, NY, they see a Peregrine Falcon which is not only the fastest moving bird, but also the fastest animal on earth. On Antarctica, they meet the Emperor Penguin which is the deepest diver. Moving to Australia, they hear the Superb Lyrebird which is the best mimic. Coming to Asia, they find the Bar-Headed Goose of the Himalayas which is the highest flying. In England, which is considered part of Europe, they come across the Barn Owl which has the keenest hearing. Africa brings them to the Ostrich which is the fastest running. And South America is home to the Horned Sungem Hummingbird which has the fastest wing beats. There are others too. Lulu wants to locate the bird with the pinkest feathers. What is it, and where will it be?

Birds are amazing creatures, and The BLUES Go Extreme Birding is a truly fun way for youngsters to learn more about some of them. Each opening has sidebars with more facts on the subject bird plus further information about related birds. In the back there is a world map with a picture of each bird and where it lives, so that children learn geography as well as science. And there are suggestions for activities to do and websites to look at. Also, the Dawn Publications (dawnpub.com) and the Blues Go Birding (thebluesgobirding.com) websites have additional resources to download. This is the third in the series, the first two of which, The BLUES Go Birding Across America and The BLUES Go Birding at Wild America’s Shores, I have read and reviewed. The BLUES Go Birding in the Rainforest will be next.

— Home School Book Review (February 2011)

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Children’s author Carol Malnor has published her third book the The BLUES Go Birding series, this one titled The BLUES Go Extreme Birding. The book’s characters include the BLUES, which are five cartoon bluebirds: Bing, Lulu, Uno, Eggbert and Sammi.

In The BLUES Go Extreme Birding, the band of bluebirds goes searching for the most “extreme” or exotic birds they can find. As they travel from New York City to Brazil, their notes and field guides reveal facts about the birds and provide introductions to other birds with related skills or features.

“Each morning we have breakfast on our deck with dozens of birds at our feeders,” said the author, who lives with her husband at Lake Wildwood. “I was thrilled when Dawn Publications asked me to co-author a series of books about birds for young children.”

Malnor is a birder, author and educator. She has developed programs for various grade levels and she and her husband have written several teacher-training guides for Dawn Publications.

Dawn Publications has been a local children’s book publishing company since 1979 and specializes in books about children and nature. The titles are available at The Book Seller, Wild Birds Unlimited, The Earth Store, Penny Lane and Harmony Books.

— Nevada City Advocate – Sandy Philpott (April 2011)

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Join “The Blues”, a group of fun-loving little birds who enjoy bird watching. In The Blues Go Extreme Birding, Bing, Lulu, Uno, Eggbert and Sammi learn about the world’s fastest-moving bird (Peregrine Falcon at almost 200 miles an hour), the slowest-flying bird (American Woodcock at 5 miles an hour), the longest-distance flier (Arctic Tern 22,000 mile trip), deepest-diving bird (Emperor Penguin dives 1800 feet), the best mimic (Superb Lyrebird), fastest-level-flying bird (White-throated Needletail Swift at 105 miles per hour), the highest-flying bird (Bar-headed Goose – 29,000 feet above sea level), the bird with the keenest hearing (The Barn Owl), fastest-running bird (Ostrich), pinkest birds (Greater Flamingo), boldest chicks (Torrent Ducks) and birds who beat their wings fastest (Horned Sungem Hummingbird 90 times every second).

Besides learning about these impressive skills, young readers will also learn more about the bird species featured in the book which is filled with fun, colourful illustrations.

— Simcoe.com – Glenn Perrett (March 30, 2011)

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Our five little bluebirds are back, and the Bird X-Games are coming soon! Sammi, the sportster bird, wants to enter, but she isn’t sure what she can do. On her quest to discovery, Sammi and her family travel the world to see the most “extreme” birds.

The “extreme” birds they encounter include the fastest animal on Earth- the Peregrine Falcon. They see the Emperor Penguin, who happens to be the world’s deepest diver. They also see the Bar-headed Goose, who is the highest flying bird champion! As they encounter more and more “extreme” birds, The BLUES discover that they have become pretty “extreme” themselves.

This fun and educational book also includes “Extra Extreme” facts from Eggbert the Expert, journal notes from Sammi and field guide information.

— Wild About Nature – Kim Kim Hutmacher (February 5, 2011)

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The BLUES Go Extreme Birding introduces 5 to 9 year-olds to nature, bringing to colorful life the fastest moving, longest migrating, deepest diving and other record holders. Excellent bright-colored art, a fun storyline and informative sidebars combine fun with natural science.

— Everett Daily Herald – Sharon Wooton (July 30, 2011)

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The record-breaking birds that the BLUES see on their world-wide ‘extreme birding’ adventure are amazing and accurately presented- perfect to bring the exciting world of birds alive for young children. Parents, grandparents and teachers are sure to enthrall their children when sharing this book… and be captivated themselves, too. How cool is that!

— John F. Schaust, Chief Naturalist, Wild Birds Unlimited, Inc.

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The BLUES are unique: a plucky band of fun-loving little birds who are crazy about bird watching. Their whimsical adventures with real-life birds add up to stories that are both educational and entertaining. These books are wonderful for introducing kids to the excitement of exploring nature.

— Kenn Kaufman, author, Kaufman Field Guide to Birds of North America

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From the highest-flying to the deepest-diving, the world of birds is presented here through a whirlwind tour of its superlatives. Young nature lovers will enjoy meeting peregrine falcons, arctic terns and more – all with a unique claim to fame.

— Todd Christopher, Author, The Green Hour: A Daily Dose of Nature for Happier, Healthier, Smarter Kids

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. . . The BLUES Go Extreme Birding . . . follows the continuing adventures of five intrepid bluebirds as they learn about real birds. The BLUES books are fun to read! They are lively, whimsical and full of great information. The BLUES include Bing, who is the band leader. His favorite color is maroon. He loves to sing songs, rhyme words and use maps. Lulu’s favorite color is ping. She loves to dress up, make friends and take photos. Uno loves orange, playing guitar, loons and rubber duckies and “not much else.” Eggbert is a super birder who loves green. He likes watching birds, reading about birds and talking about birds. Sammi likes the color yellow. She loves sports, getting a good workout and going on adventures. Each of the BLUES help to write about their adventures as they visit various parts of the world and learn about interesting birds . . .

— Weatherford Daily News – Dee Ann Ray (March 12, 2011)

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Are you crazy about bird watching? Do you want to learn about birds? This book will help you understand the topic.

— Skipping Stones (March/April 2011)