I’d already loved ‘Around the World in 80 Trees’ in this loose series from Laurence King Publishing and was really looking forward to this one, so much I popped into work on my holiday to pick it up as soon as I found. The author provides not only interesting biology, but also explores how each bird species has interacted with humans, whether in folklore ,mythology or real life ….

It was perfect for a birding beginner with stunning illustrations and it’s written in such a charming and approachable style.Little synchronicity with Herman Hesse book above -- the poem / song Beim Shlafeneghen by Herman Hesse was sung by Donna’s niece at her funeral. The concept seems a bit dated with a personal selection of best birds based on geographic representation, unusual habits and beauty. Payments made using National Book Tokens are processed by National Book Tokens Ltd, and you can read their Terms and Conditions here. Wat voor vele mensen is ontstaan tijdens de lockdowns heb ik al veel langer: een liefde voor vogels.

Reading this book, I was often reminded of this haunting sentence from a New Yorker article: “To be alive and explore nature now is to read by the light of a library as it burns. I was immediately enthralled by the beautifully shining illustrations from Ryuto Mikaye, turning each bird into a masterpiece of flow and movement on the page. Great read--educational, interesting, accessible and comical to both non-bird-lovers and bird-lovers.Once again, the book provides a very nice if not too detailed look at the most recognizeable birds from each of the above-mentioned regions. Lettura delicata, puntuale, ben studiata, in grado di dare una visione di ottanta specie di uccelli facendo avvicinare a questo animale anche i più profani. Miyake prefers traditional drawing styles, using acrylic gouache applied with a thin brush on stretched-out watercolour paper, but his detailed illustrations have a contemporary look. The editors have done a good job adding non-metric equivalents for length and weight to the descriptions in the original. The writing gives a lot of interesting information on the history of the birds and how people relate to them.

Their avian abilities also mean they can escape danger and relatively easily re-settle which makes them highly adaptive too. Flits and swoops into birds you may have heard of around the world – quetzals, kiwis, flamingos, oh my! I'd never heard of the oilbird or the purple-crested turaco before but my world is much the richer for having learned about them here.I also really enjoy the fact that this series focuses not just on birds, but on birds that are important to human populations in a variety of ways, as the human-bird interactions are always interesting.

I really enjoyed the expansive variety of birds chosen here, with each entry bringing up fascinating new information about its subject, even when said subject was something I thought I already knew quite a bit of popular information about. Each chapter discusses the bird, it's locale, migratory habits (if they do), word description of the male and female, mating and breeding along with time for eggs to hatch and how long the parents care for the chicks along with the level of conservation it currently sits at - not only in the wild but in private sanctuaries and zoos.

Y es que todas las aves tienen una historia que contar, y unas características propias que los hacen únicos y especiales, siendo además, una gran fuente de inspiración para la ciencia, la literatura, y el arte. Small chapters make this series a perfect bedside book, dipping into at night for a relaxing read, though it never really works like that as I again devoured this whole book in one sitting. The art in this book - by Arturo Miyake - is something else and, to me, one of the biggest highlights. The Resplendent Quatzal is such a beautifully colourful bird linked with a lot of South American mythology and I’ve always been fascinated by it. Dit is een boek dat je niet van A tot Z moet lezen, mag natuurlijk, maar ik leg het boek het liefst naast het bed: om er vogel per vogel van te genieten.