Woodpecker Wham!

May 18, 2015
Using a brisk, upbeat cadence, the team behind Eat Like a Bear and Vulture View chronicles the lives of several species of woodpecker as they communicate, collect food, chisel bark, and more. “Fan those feathers./ Shower clean./ Sunbathe dry./ Then oil and preen!” writes Sayre as two yellow birds spread their wings under blue skies of rain and sun. Jenkins’s torn-paper collages combine downy textures and boldly contrasting patterns, creating an almost three-dimensional effect. Northern flickers have plumage suggestive of leopard print, while other specimens are mottled in black and white. Stylish feathers aside, Sayre concludes with a woodpecker doing what woodpeckers do best: “Bill to bark. Build!/ Slam, slam, slam!/ Chip and chop./ Woodpecker wham!” Substantial appendices provide a wealth of woodpecker information for birders in training. Ages 4–8.

February 15, 2015
With bouncy verse and colorful illustrations, an experienced picture-book team introduces a familiar bird.Focusing on six woodpecker species common in eastern deciduous forests-downy, red-bellied, red-headed and pileated woodpeckers, yellow-bellied sapsuckers and northern flickers-Sayre describes typical behaviors: shredding, carving, drilling, messaging, feeding, cleaning, courting, hiding, nesting, nurturing and storing food. She even mentions their useful seed-enriched droppings. Each page or spread includes a well-rhymed and rhythmic quatrain set on an illustration showing the action described. Repetitive onomatopoeic sounds such as "CHOP, CHIP, CHOP!" and "BONK-BONK-BONK" combine with plentiful alliteration to make the simple verses come alive. Each species is recognizable in Jenkins' cut-and-torn-paper collages by its head markings (but not so clearly from the striped and spotted bodies). The birds are shown in their usual habitat over four seasons, sometimes up close and sometimes from a middle distance. A particularly appealing image shows a flicker gorging on cherries, its head and upper body stained with the juice. The pictured birds are identified in thumbnail illustrations included in the extensive backmatter for older readers and adults: six pages of description of the woodpecker world which amplify the read-aloud text. Attractive and surprisingly informative, this should join the duo's Eat Like a Bear (2013) on every preschool and primary nature shelf. (Informational picture book. 3-8)

Starred review from March 1, 2015

PreS-Gr 3-A northern flicker, a yellow-bellied sapsucker, and other woodpeckers of the eastern deciduous forests "chip," "chop," and "wham" their way through the seasons through crisp verses and paper collages in this informational picture book. There are quiet moments as well: woodpeckers "pluck and feed" at the cherry tree while cherries dangle against an azure sky. Jenkins's illustrations are top-notch, beautifully depicting the different subspecies of woodpeckers, such as the flicker's subtle grays and golds, which contrast with its neck rings, and spotted chest. With metronomic precision, Sayre's verses describe the woodpecker's activity: "Hawk's a-hunting./Stop. Drop. Hide./Quiet/on the other side," and along with the illustrations, mostly spreads, make for engaging read-alouds. The end pages, supported by information from Cornell's Laboratory of Ornithology and other biologists, offer more information that will be key for students engaged in Common Core activities, paired with small images, which name the featured woodpeckers. Readers learn how these birds forage, build shelter and nests, avoid predators, and instruct their young, among other topics. VERDICT Lovely and exciting, this title is a great hook for young researchers, as well as fledgling ornithologists.-Teresa Pfeifer, The Springfield Renaissance School, Springfield, MA

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2015
Preschool-G Woodpeckers don't just peck. They chop, bonk, tap, and slam, doing serious work. The same team that collaborated most recently on Eat like a Bear (2014) now takes youngsters through the seasons with a creature they may observe in their own backyards. Short, playful text featuring plenty of action words and onomatopoeia describes a variety of woodpecker activities, from sending messages, finding insects and sap, and preening to preparing homes. Their role in the ecosystem is also indicated. After woodpeckers abandon their homes, other animals may move in. And woodpeckers help with seed dispersal when they make a meal of berries. Endnotes offer further information, beginning with the explanation that the varieties featured in the book are those that live together in the eastern deciduous forests of the U.S. Paper-collage art depicts the different kinds of woodpeckers in all their beauty. No cartoony black, white, and red here: these birds sport patterns of bars, spots, or streaks, and coloring may include browns and yellows (a key is provided). This strikes the right note for budding bird-watchers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)