Birds of Prey: Terrifying Talons (Science Comics)

by Joe Flood (Author)

Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade
Series: Science Comics

Spread your wings with Science Comics: Birds of Prey, a new and exciting volume of First Second's nonfiction graphic novel series!

Every volume of Science Comics offers a complete introduction to a particular topic--dinosaurs, the solar system, volcanoes, bats, robots, and more. Whether you're a fourth grader doing a natural science unit at school or a thirty-year-old with a secret passion for airplanes, these graphic novels are for you!

In this volume, you'll get up-close and personal with some of the world's most skilled hunters, from the majestic eagle to the oft-maligned scavenger vulture! Armed with razor-sharp claws, keen eyesight, powerful wings, and killer instincts, these stealthy predators can make a meal of rodents, fish, snakes, lizards, monkeys, and even kangaroos! Discover how these amazing birds who are often at the top of the food chain, play an integral role in many different ecosystems around the world.

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School Library Journal

Gr 4-7--Readers should be cautioned not to get too attached to the curious squirrel who serves as their stand-in for this graphic (in both senses of the word) introduction to raptors worldwide. A Renaissance Faire falconer in antique dress serves as lecturer and tour guide--opening by feeding his Cooper's hawk a dead chick ("No need to be squeamish. She's just doing what nature intended."). Addressing the squirrel, he then goes on to dissect raptor ancestry and anatomy, families, feathers, and aerodynamic body design, as well as the dangers of pesticides and habitat destruction by humans. The falconer continues with explorations of these birds' prey and hunting strategies as flocks of modern exemplars, from the sparrow-sized black-thighed falconet to the 30-plus pound Andean condor, strike characteristic poses. Flood's standout bird portraits use saturated colors to make plumage patterns particularly vivid and sharply defined lines for painstakingly detailed beaks and talons. His avian subjects exude implacable focus and presence throughout. Following guest appearances by notable figures of various species, from Pale Male to John James Audubon and Hawk Mountain Sanctuary founder Rosalie Edge, the falconer closes with a technical overview of his chosen craft that...may not end well for the squirrel. Oh well, "circle of life" as he puts it. VERDICT Feeds, in a frank but not gratuitously gory way, middle graders' hunger to learn more about some of the animal world's most fierce and splendid predators.--John Peters

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes




Joe Flood
Joe Flood is a comic book author and illustrator whose work includes the Cellies series, The Cute Girl Network, the Pirates of the Caribbean series, and Orcs: Forged for War. For the Science Comics series, he collaborated with author MK Reed on Dinosaurs: Fossils and Feathers and wrote and illustrated Sharks: Nature's Perfect Hunter. He lives with his wife and daughter in New York's Hudson Valley.
Classification
Non-fiction
ISBN-13
9781250269478
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
First Second
Publication date
May 20, 2022
Series
Science Comics
BISAC categories
JNF051150 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Science & Nature | Zoology
JNF003030 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Animals | Birds
JNF062030 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Comics & Graphic Novels | Science & Nature
Library of Congress categories
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