It is a blustery spring day, and Mouse and Mole are very excited. They are going to go bird watching. They are planning to make bird books. Mouse and Mole pack paper and crayons and hurry outside. It turns out, birds are not so easy to watch. Splashing in puddles scare them away. Stepping on crunchy leaves does too. Mole rubs his snout. Mouse twirls her tail. Together, they come up with a plan to get closer to the birds. A plan that includes glue and feathers. Join Mouse and Mole on another high-flying adventure in which teamwork, brainstorming, and good ideas always make for a fun day out!

The Seuss Geisel Honor book, Fine Feathered Friends, is a wonderful story of friendship, fun, creativity, and teamwork. The pictures are water colored sketches displaying primarily pastels for a softer look. The backgrounds are all white, helping the pictures and font to stand out separately. Deviating from the traditional 'picture-on-top and words-on-bottom' layout of a children's book, Fine Feathered Friends puts pictures above, below, and between words and lines, adding variety to each page and making following along all the more fun. Each page consists of about a paragraph, the perfect amount for a young attention span or a learning reader. The story is separated into four small chapters, each a small adventure within the larger adventure Mole and Mouse are on, bird watching and creating a book about birds. The chapters give the book a 'big kid' look and feel, encouraging those beginning to read or on the verge. The book is filled with information cleverly worked into the story, so without even realizing it, readers will learn the name of many different types of birds, what they look like, how a bird builds a next, how to spell certain bird names, and even the names of some leafs.

The story is rapt with sound effect words that can make reading aloud fun and entertaining; the "whoosh" of the wind, the "TAP-TAP-TAP" on the door, "Wham!" of the door slamming, "Crick-CRACK" of a trig snapping, and so many more. There are also many different bird calls that your child will love to repeat after you, whether they copy your tune or make one of their own. Can they sing the "Purdy-purdy" of the cardinal, the "Per-chick-o-ree" of the goldfinch, the "chick-a-dee-dee-dee" of the black-capped chickadee, or the bluejay's,"queedle-queedle"? Creating unique voices for each character will also enhance your child's enjoyment of the story, particularly the humorous sections when Mole thinks he sees a bird in a tree, but it's only a pinecone, or when Mouse thinks she is helping find the birds when she yells, "Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Your child will likely have questions about birds, including if any of the types in the book live near you, and if they really sing the way described in the book. Spending time discussing the book, its information, and its lessons with your child after reading will help them understand and appreciate it more, while providing some quality educational time. Perhaps one - or both - of your can think of a bird-related story to share.

I read this book with my five-year-old friend, Nick, who got it from the library. I asked him what made him pick this book, and he said he wants to learn about birds so he knows which one to ask his parents for. Nick was my official page-turner during the reading, and stopped me whenever he had a question. He wanted to know if rolling around in glue and feathers would really make you look like a bird (I think he was hatching a plan). I assured him it probably wouldn't be as convincing as Mouse and Mole were in the book. Nick nodded, but did not look too convinced. Just to be sure, I moved the glue up higher on the shelf in his room.

--Audra