Lerner does a fabulous job of motivating readers of all ages to want to get involved with birds. The pictures are life-size and clear and pretty, perfect for preschoolers to start becoming aware. On the other hand, some of the facts are new even to me, and I grew up with avid birders. The writing is clear and friendly, mentioning for example the 'sweet tooth' of orioles. (Of course birds have no teeth; it's just a fun expression.

Fortunately plenty of mentions are made of things that are in flux, and the reasons why, so readers can be open-minded when they see a newer guide that contradicts this one. Unfortunately, this is dated, and a serious reader does want to seek a newer book. Habitat ranges definitely change, for a lot of reasons. Clearing the forests helps some birds, hurts others. Northern orioles are separated out again into Bullock's and Baltimore. Indigo and Lazuli buntings are considered separate species but do interbreed where their ranges overlap.

There are also special aids to identification. Eastern phoebes can be recognized by their tail-wagging habit. Scarlet tanager males molt after nesting season, becoming first patchwork red and olive, then all olive like the females.

Etc. Rich resource; recommended to all, not just the 9-12 year-olds it's aimed at. ( )

This book describes many different types of birds’ behaviors and habitat. It list different facts that can help you in bird watching, attracting birds to your home, and what foods they are attracted to. This book would be great for researching bird facts for a project. ( )

This book presents different migrating birds in an organized manner. The birds are grouped into two large groups: those who frequent feeders and those who will nest in birdhouses. Smaller subgroups within these two categories are: grosbeaks, buntings, hummingbirds, etc. Illustrations of birds are drawn life-sized. Maps of North American summer range for each bird are provided. The information is provided in narrative form instead of bullets or boxes. I wish this book had references listed so that I could know where the author got her information. I have read that it is not good to feed birds (or any other wild animals) and that birds (and all wild animals) should be allowed to forage for their own natural food sources on their own. This conflicts with the author's advice about feeding birds. I think the information in this book would have been more easily accessible if it were bulleted and placed in a sequential order, like in other field guides I have seen. ( )