Very nice paper collage illustrations and brief text, along with words that emulate bird sounds-- dee dee dee, eeyah, etc.

my little one loves all things having to do with animals and nature so this was perfect. she loved imitating all the sounds of each bird and even remembered them as we went back through the book to read again. It was fun teaching her the names of each bird.

The illustrations are nice in this book, but what I liked most about reading it to my 2-year-old is that it incorporates counting, birds and short words in big fonts (the bird songs) that she can easily identify.

Love the illusrations. The chickadee is our fav.

Although Betsy Franco’s Birdsongs would likely work well enough as a backwards counting book (basically using the diverse bird calls presented to practice subtraction in a fun and onomatopoeic celebration of the former), considering the rather advanced vocabulary the author has generally used to textually describe both the birds and their behaviours, I do have to question if there might not be a bit of a sense of disconnect between the intended audience (between young children learning and practicing their numbers) and what Betsy Franco has actually penned in Birdsongs (as really, the counting part in my opinion does feel a bit too simple and basic for the type of child audience who would be familiar with either the bird names themselves or with their general actions and behaviours).

And while I certainly have like usual very much for the most part aesthetically enjoyed Steve Jenkins’ accompanying artwork for Birdsongs (it being both realistic and colourfully imaginative, except that visually I have personally found his illustration of that seagull rather too in one’s face and even potentially frightening for very sensitive children and that yes, the depicted cat in the scene with the chickadees does not at all look like a tabby), I cannot really say that in Birdsongs, the combination of text and images has been all that successfully achieved, in so far that albeit I generally both appreciate and have certainly enjoyed Steve Jenkins’ pictures, Betsy Franco’s text really does leave much to be desired, really does feel as though it does not know whether it is meant for very young (like the counting book format and onomatopoeic birdsongs seem to indicate) or for older children (since to and for me, the advanced vocabulary and bird species names of Birdsongs do not at all feel like a simple counting book). And as such, I also have to wonder that if one were actually using Birdsongs for counting and subtraction practice with very young children, whether there might indeed be vocabulary comprehension issues and the author’s presented narrative being just a bit too involved and complex to be used without there being questions and the need for supplemental explanations.

Birds and their sounds.

This is one of our favorite books of late. It's a reverse counting book, and it's the best kind of counting book because neither parent nor child really notices the counting. The book begins at dawn, and page by page all the birds wake up and make their bird noises (10 woodpecker taps, 9 dove coos, etc). The cut paper illustrations are beautiful and very accurate: my 4 year old delights in recognizing birds outside that he's seen in the book. We also have a great time making the bird sounds together which, thank goodness, are phonetic. A white gull goes "eeyah!" and the hummingbird does a high pitched "tzik." Belly laughs at the end when the mockingbird makes all the sounds and we go crazy trying to outdo each other. Thumbs up!

Lovely illustrations and "noises".

This book could be used to identify similarities and differences among different species of birds. The class could go outside to observe birds around the school and talk about the birds characteristics. This activity would be appropriate for students in kindergarten. It might be helpful to have a parent volunteer when taking twenty four kindergartners outside to learn.

C didn't get into this one very much; a young bird aficionado would love all the unique sounds and pictures of birds!

Birdsongs by Betty Franco and illustrated by Steve Jenkins is a delightful children's book that's takes a typical counting book and mixes with with some basic ornithology along with the story of an approaching storm.

Each page marks the passage of time with a new bird and a new bird song. There are crows, chickadees, morning doves, sea gulls and a humming bird among others. Harriet loves the way different birdsongs are counted all the way down to the single humming bird zzzt. She likes the make the different birdsongs and point out the birds.

Sean meanwhile likes Steve Jenkins's illustrations. Jenkins builds each illustration with carefully cut and layered bits of paper. These collages have a nice sense of texture and depth.

Birdsongs is a perfect bedtime story. It's soothing and rhythmic and easy to read. It keeps the attention of both my two-year-old and my six-year-old which is crucial for our nightly routine.

A short, simple book about different birdsongs. There is a counting aspect to it, which I essentially overlooked as I read it aloud to my kindergarteners. We focused on the different birdsongs, and it was enjoyed interactively. I don't think I would enjoy it as much as a counting book. The illustrations were clear and nice, in Jenkins' style. Focused primarily on backyard birds, which I appreciated for use with my kindergarteners.