Seagulls Soar

Starred review from May 1, 2020

PreS-Gr 1-In this engaging and informative work, readers learn about the diversity of seagulls. Habitats vary from ocean shores to the desert. In fact, the seagull isn't just one type of bird, but rather a term to describe many species of birds. The colorful artwork conveys the mood perfectly. "Seagulls paddle, seagulls float. They skim a wake. They board a boat." The illustration shows one seagull on a big wave, which appears to be moving, behind a large boat. More than a dozen seagulls soar near the boat. This title can be used in storytime for preschoolers or in the classroom with older students. VERDICT Sayre and Bogdanska collaborate to magically create a story with lyrical text, stellar illustrations, and thought-provoking back matter. Readers will never look at seagulls the same way again.-Robin Sofge, Prince William Public Library System, VA

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from February 1, 2020
Ballad stanzas celebrate gulls who flourish both near and far from the sea. Sayre, who has introduced all kinds of animals with clever rhymes and rhythms designed for reading aloud, turns to the gull family. While readers and listeners may know that gulls follow boats and frequent sandy shores, they may be surprised to learn that they fly into deserts, forage in garbage dumps, pursue plowing tractors and feeding whales, and use human-paved roads to open clams shells. After a series of action examples, one stanza to a spread, comes a change of pace, stretching out a reveal over a page turn: "Seagulls nest, / gather sticks. / Spotted eggs, then... // ...spotted chicks!" The narrative pauses with a note about the curious way these birds move: "Left wing, left leg, / stretch as one." With time, the chicks grow, fledge and become adults, circling "from ship to shore" all over again. While Sayre's books are often illustrated with her own photographs, the choice not to try to photograph the confusing gull family is sensible. From the laughing gulls on the title page to the California gull on the final, dedication page, first-time picture-book illustrator Bogdańska's digital images are reasonably recognizable (though never identified) and convey something of the range of gull appearances and the wide variety of their habitats. The backmatter adds additional interesting information about gulls' feeding habits, their varied and varying plumage, and their common name. Another deceptively simple, soaringly successful flight. (acknowledgments) (Informational picture book. 3-8)

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March 1, 2020
Preschool-G A bird familiar to many children, the seagull receives well-deserved attention in this attractive picture book. Written in short, rhyming verses, the text touches on many aspects of seagulls' lives, such as feeding, preening, nesting, and flight. Sayre also refers to the wide variety of locales where gulls thrive, from seashores to inland farms and garbage dumps. The book begins and ends with the verse, Seagulls swerve. / Seagulls soar. / Yack! Yack! Yack! / from ship to shore. On broad, double-page spreads, the accomplished digital artwork captures the birds in action within different settings. Sometimes viewed from an aerial perspective, they swerve and soar above a lighthouse in one scene, while another shows them foraging at a garbage dump, and a third illustration depicts a mated pair with two chicks. If the text raises any questions, the answers can probably be found in the detailed, informative back matter, where Sayre discusses the birds' intelligence, adaptability, foods, names, habits, habitats, and survival skills. An informative picture book for reading aloud to kids intrigued by gulls.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)