The Big Book of Birds by Yuval Zommer

Publisher blurb: Why is a flamingo pink? Can a parrot talk? Is a bald eagle really bald? This follow-up to the hugely successful The Big Book of Bugs, The Big Book of Beasts and The Big Book of the Blue answers these questions and many more. It opens with introductory spreads explaining how to recognize different bird’s eggs, the bird family tree, why different species of birds have different beaks and feathers, and why some birds migrate and travel vast distances every year. Subsequent spreads, illustrated with various habitats, are dedicated to specific varieties of bird, including hummingbirds, peacocks, flamingos, bald eagles, secretary birds, albatrosses and red-crowned cranes. Some will teach children how to spot different birds within a specific variety, for example how to differentiate the American robin from the European robin. Others explore bird habitats, for example showing how birds adapt to live in cities. Finally, the book invites young bird spotters to protect birds where they live and make their gardens bird friendly. This is a big, beautiful book to look at again and again.

Social Media can be useful, distracting and of course it can show you the things you have missed out on. I recently saw that Yuval Zommer has been in Australia and more specifically here in Sydney at an event with Thames and Hudson, his publisher, and even more amazing our own Zeno Sworder was also a speaker/guest at this event. Zeno has a new book due out later this year.  I wonder how people knew to attend? I seem to follow so many authors and publishers on all the Social Media platforms but I did not see this event mentioned until various people shared photos of the event. I will admit I am very jealous of the people who attended.

At a recent charity book sale I spied The Big Book of Birds by Yuval Zommer. This is indeed a 'big' book and this copy is in mint condition so I will gift it to a friend. It only cost AUS$4 and as a bonus on the day I picked it up, the books at the fair were half price. The normal retail price for this book is AUS$30 so I did snaffle a bargain. The Big Book of Birds was published in 2020.

There are tiny details in the design of this book that will delight a young reader. The end papers show birds flying in towards the pages and at the back they are flying away. There is an egg hunt on every page and to read some of the pages you need to turn the book sideways. As with all excellent nonfiction books, this one has a detailed contents list and an index.

The birds in this book are from around the world. I especially love the double spreads about puffins, flamingos, Secretary birds, robins, Great Grey owls and hummingbirds. 

There is just enough information on each page to spark curiosity in your young reading companion aged 6+. I have talked about so many bird books on this blog - just click the word birds in my post label. Kirkus say this book is insubstantial but I think it is a great introduction to a wide range of birds and the illustrations are simply delightful. If a young reader spies a bird that catches their attention there are sure to be plenty of other books that give will give them more details. 

Here are some other splendid books by Yuval Zommer. Notice all the titles have a word starting with the letter 'B'. I think all of these should be added to your school library collection:

Let's Talk Picture books explore his Big Book of Blooms. I am now very keen to see another book from this series - The Big Book of Belonging. You can follow Yuval Zommer on Instagram. His new book due to arrive here in Australia in September is one I really do need to own - it is called Our Islands. I have travelled to lots of special islands - Fair Isle; Mull; Skye; Shetland; Isle de Magdalen (Canada); Nantucket; Martha's Vineyard; Orkney; Jersey; Hern; Sark; and Gurnsey. I am not sure that any of these are included in this book so that means it will give a new list of islands I need to explore. 

The Big book of Blooms by Yuval Zommer

There are two things I post on Instagram - book covers and flowers. The Big Book of Blooms is a book about flowers - perfect! Here are some flowers from my area I photographed over the last year.

In this photo you can see Australian native flowers such as the Bottlebrush and my favourite Flannel Flower along with "exotics" such as Hibiscus, Camellia and Bird of Paradise.

Open The Big Book of Blooms. The opening end paper is very special - a dandelion blowing in the wind. The table of contents shows how the flowers in this book are organised. Here are a few examples: Pollinator; Sunflowers; Pitcher Plants; Seeds and seed dispersal; Bird of paradise Flower; Tulips; Cacti; Roses; Giant water lilies; and Cherry Blossoms.

Things I discovered:

• Roses need 15.4 Litres of water to make one flower.
• The underside of a lily pad is covered in sharp spines to protect them from fish.
• Many cactus flowers bloom at night.
• The orange trumpet vine (I have one in my photo collage above) is nicknamed "orange thudg" because it can easily crush other plants using its strong trendrils.
• The bird of paradise flower is pollinated by small birds.

This is a perfect non fiction book. It contains a glossary and an extensive index. There is also fun to be had as you hunt for 15 golden bulbs scattered throughout the book and a page of advice for young gardeners who are now inspired to grow their own blooms. After reading and revisiting this book your young reader might be curious to know more so you should head over to your local library Dewey Number 582.13 to explore more books about the world of flowers.

This has to be my favourite non-fiction title at the moment. Published in association with the Kew Gardens, this is a gorgeous exploration of flowering plants- with a search and find element thrown in. Well indexed. Beautifully illustrated.  Perfectly designed.  As all books should be! Paul Macdonald Children’s Bookshop Facebook comment

This title pairs picture-book charm and concise, informative text to create a beautiful book for children to return to. Zommer’s quirky illustrations appeal to young readers, who will relish these fun and amazing facts about the world’s most exciting plants. MandarinReaders


Here are the other 'big books' by Yuval.

In 2019 I was standing in a bookshop in either London or Edinburgh and I watched Yuval signing some of his 'big books'.  Wish I was a person with more courage. I should have talked to him - silly me - opportunity missed.

The Tree that's meant to be by Yuval Zommer

I am the tree that's meant to be

Sadly this tree does not seem destined to be cut down and taken to a home as a Christmas tree. This is what the tree desires but surely staying in the forest is a much better option - a way to stay alive.  "... it was plain to see that I was never, ever going to be a perfect, grown-up tree. I branched a bit to the left and too much to the right, and didn't really focus on my height."

The little tree stands tall through the seasons and watches as other trees are selected at Christmas.

"Alone. I shivered, I shuddered. I i-i-i-is anyone there? I stuttered into the night."

The forest animals hear the tree crying. The gather beautiful decorations from the forest floor - leaves, acorns and feathers. The tree is transformed and then, in a magical moment, a star seems to land in the top of the tree and everything looks completely perfect.

This is a brand new book published in 2019. I would pair this book with The Silver Christmas Tree by Pat Hutchins which was published in 1974 - one of my all time favourite Christmas books. These two books have so much in common including the arrival of a star to top off the tree in the forest.

The Tree that's meant to be is the first book in my Christmas series - twelve books of Christmas. Watch my blog over the coming days for many more Christmas books - probably more than just twelve. Yuval Zommer has some other wonderful books which I recommend you find and explore. The cover design of The Tree that's meant to be is perfect. It is so tactile. The lettering and tree itself are embossed and there is just the right amount of glitter so the book can sparkle. Here is the illustration from the last page:

Why not continue reading about about special Christmas trees? This would be a beautiful theme to explore with a young child.

 The Crooked Little Christmas Tree

The Gift of Christmas