Review: City Bird by Angela Harrison Vinet and Janis Hatten Harrison

City Bird
by Angela Harrison Vinet and Janis Hatten Harrison

My Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Non-fiction/ Birding

Blurb:
Get an informed yet cheeky perspective on the fascinating language of birds in urban areas with this witty twist on a traditional field guide.

In the city, the lights are bright, the people move fast, and birds are everywhere! City Bird pairs scientific insight on the sounds and songs unique to birds inhabiting urban areas of North America and vibrant illustrations to help birders of all stripes identify their feathered neighbors with with a light-hearted narrative that reflects the personality and characteristics of city slickers around the world. As you explore, discover fun facts and jot down your thoughts and observations in the note-taking section.

There are plenty of places in the urban jungle to spot beautiful birds, from a park while on your lunch break to your own fire escape or balcony. Take a beat away from the hustle and bustle of city life to meet 50 City Birds, including:

– Any city-dweller’s familiar sidewalk friend, the Rock Pigeon
– The House Sparrow, hopping down the street for their daily commute
– The Peregrine Falcon, nesting on a landmark building or bridge near you
– Mute Swans and Mallards, who spend their days paddling through urban waterways

The Birds illustrated collection delivers a playful yet informative insight on the sounds and songs unique to birds inhabiting different geographical regions. From rural farmlands to bustling city streets or the salty air of the shore, each book features beautiful portraits and a lighthearted narrative that reflects the personality and characteristics of birds native to each location. Also available from this collection: Country Bird.

My Review

I received a free copy from the publisher through Netgalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

I like birds and this non-fiction book about birding in cities caught my eye. I had a great time reading this book. This book has an introduction and ending, besides that the middle is all dedicated to various birds. There is some artwork of each bird on the left page and then some text about that bird on the right page. The format works well and I liked seeing what each bird looks like as well as reading a bit about them. It’s easy to pick up for a short time and read a page here or there or multiple pages in a row when I had more time to read.

The book is about birds you can spot in cities throughout the USA, but as someone who lives in Europe I still recognized some birds we have here as well. Or there were birds were I didn’t recognize the specific subspecies, but we have another species of it here. And even with the birds that we don’t have here it was just fun to read a bit about them and their behavior. I was surprised with how large the variety of birds is that can be found in cities. And I thought the book made birding and starting with it feel very accessible. The focus of birds in cities helped with this as not everyone lives close to a lot of nature.

To summarize: I had a great time reading this book. The artwork of the birds was well done and I liked reading about a wide variety of birds you can spot in cities. The format with just two pages for each bird, one artwork and one text, made it easy to pick up and read a bit. I like birds and enjoyed learning more about them. The focus of this book is on birds in the USA, but as someone living in Europe I still enjoyed reading it and recognized some birds we have here as well. The book makes it feel easy to start with birding and I thought the focus on birds that can be found in cities added to this.

Links:
– Goodreads
– Bookbub
– Amazon
– B&N

You can also read my review on Goodreads and Bookbub.