The defining elements of living creatures that humans categorize as birds take center stage in the illuminating picture book What Makes a Bird by Nadeem Perera, the co-founder of Flock Together, a "birdwatching support group combating the underrepresentation of Black, Brown and POC in nature." This detailed introduction to all manner of feathered friends is strikingly illustrated by graphic designer Montse Galbany (Awesome Accidents).
What Makes a Bird? is divided into four main sections: "What Makes a Bird," "Where Do Birds Live," "What Do Birds Do," and "Becoming a Birder." Each section is divided into chapters (like "Birdsong" or "Deserts") where Perera expands on the main topics with engaging facts and detailed diagrams. For example, budding ornithologists can learn that parrots "might have dreams," crows are especially clever "with tools and problem-solving," and the common tailorbird "uses plant fibers... and spider webs" to "sew" the edges of leaves together as cradles for their babies. Additional content can be found in sideline subsections that offer readers informative tidbits.
In the final section of the book, Perera shares his journey to becoming a bird enthusiast, offering tips--regardless of where someone may live--and providing a sample birdwatching logbook. Galbany's digital art uses the palette of the natural world with some high-saturation hints to add extra allure to each page. The lifelike illustrations afford the audience a chance to see birds with which they may be wholly unfamiliar. Perera and Galbany help readers understand and appreciate our avian planetary co-habitants through this beautiful, fascinating work. --Jen Forbus, freelancer