Bird Talk

"Birds are constantly making sounds; most of these are pleasant and enjoyable, so much so that humans often tune them out of their active consciousness. However, once in a while, one of these sounds is different enough from the usual that it inspires a nearby human to begin to think about it and perhaps try to identify or classify it with something familiar. In this work, Rowland, an active bird lover, writer, and illustrator, identifies over 100 such unusual, attention-getting bird sounds and compares them to sounds that human beings might be able to more readily identify with, including sneezes, chain saws, sirens, machine guns, squeaky whiteboards, or a pair of pants as they rip accidentally. Rowland organizes these sounds into reasonably logical chapters and fills them with her own lively illustrations—all with a humor that makes this work entirely memorable. VERDICT Rowland’s book will appeal to, inform, and entertain bird watchers of all kinds and ages."—Library Journal

"In Bird Talk, Becca Rowland perfectly captures the wonderful absurdity of the tiny, flying dinosaurs in our backyards. It's funny, its drawings playful and lush, and it helped me identify the Eurasian blue tit. Like the best books about nature, Bird Talk made me stop and look...and laugh." —Navied Mahdavian, New Yorker Cartoonist and author of This Country