"As a hummingbird dines on hundreds of flowers
each day, it performs another critical job - pollination.
Tiny pollen grains from the flowers stick to its feathers
and bill when it sips nectar from blooms. When that
bird visits other flowers, bits of pollen fall off and
pollinate them, creating new seeds."
There's not much as amazing as watching tiny hummingbirds make their way in the world. Our weather has not yet remained warm enough to welcome them. We need more warmth and sunshine before they show themselves as visitors.
They are not easy to find even when they are in the vicinity. Did you know there are 353 different types, all living only in the Americas? Each one is designed differently and sports different colors. Twelve different types find pride of place here.
Using action words on the verso for each double-page spread, Suzanne Slade offers a close look at the many things that make a hummingbird quite unique and special: humming, feeding, resting, calling, courting, nesting ... and so on. On the recto, the author presents an informative paragraph to explain each of these actions, and includes one type of hummingbird before the page turn. Wing beats per second, bill growth, feeding tubes, safe spots for sleeping, variety in the calls made, courtship rituals and more are conversational in tone and very descriptive.
"The world's smallest bird, the Bee Hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae) is only found in Cuba. Measuring 2.25 inches (5.75 centimeters) long, and weighing less than 0.07 ounces (2 grams), the weight of a dime, it is often mistaken for a large bee. The mother lays one or two oval, pea-sized eggs in her tiny nest."
Back matter includes finding and helping these tiny treasures, a selected bibliography, and an opportunity to learn more about them.
Thomas Gonzalez created the incredibly realistic illustrations using pastel, colored pencil and airbrush. The birds are presented in a larger size than is true to reality to help readers realize their true beauty in close-up views. Exceptional nonfiction, sure to interest many.
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