Beautiful Birds
Jean Roussen and Emmanuelle Walker
Flying Eye Books
Arresting artwork in dazzling colours abounds in this large volume. All manner of plumages, some exotic, some comparatively ordinary (if one can actually call any feathers ordinary), from the wild and wonderful bird kingdom are included. Jean Roussen’s accompanying  poetic, rhyming alphabet text takes readers from the albatross (admiral of the skies) to the zosteropidae (also known as white-eyes)– a new bird for me.

Emmanuelle Walker demonstrates meticulous attention to shape and form in her elegant images of each bird so that one truly wants to pause and wonder over every single page or spread. It’s absolutely impossible to choose one favourite from this enchanting assortment but some I particularly love are egret,

the woeful looking kakapo,

woodpecker

(a notable absence of that eye-watering fluorescent orange/pink on those last two) and the binocular view of the zosteropidae. Ask me again on another day and my choice might be altogether different, such is the artistry contained within the covers of this one. In any event I wouldn’t choose the cocky peacock that has the final word.
Share the book with children of all ages. It will set their imaginations and creativity soaring along with those avian beauties. Adults too will be drawn in and want to linger over this one. Indeed, many pages would make gorgeous posters . Great endpapers too.
A book for all educational settings and the family bookshelf.

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