If I’m honest – and I always try my best to be – prior to the arrival of a copy of Celebrating Birds; an Interactive Field Guide Featuring Art from Wingspan, I was wholly unaware that there existed a bird-centered board game named Wingspan, or that it was as remarkably popular as it has become in the relatively short time since its introduction in 2019. But then this wouldn’t be the first time I was ignorant of something widely popular; as both the Mrs. and our daughter will attest, when it comes to popular activities (as well as popular music, television programs, movies…), I’m often charmingly clueless.
But back to the book at hand. Serving the twin roles of being both an enhancing element to the Wingspan game itself as well as a stand-alone introductory level guide to common North American bird species (170 from the game, plus eleven additional species), Celebrating Birds features full-color illustrations by Natalia Rojas and Ana Maria Martinez – the artists whose vibrant images of birds are also included in Wingspan – as well as textual descriptions and a bit of color commentary of each included species by the nice folks at Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Boldly colored, with large, highly contrasting and easily readable type, and bound in a durable hardcover binding, in addition to the natural interest it would be expected to attract from players of Wingspan, this would be a very good choice as an introductory bird guide for a family with younger children, or for people who aren’t birders but who enjoy watching the species that would likely be seen in their back garden or local park. (N.B., The large format, type, and illustration sizes make this a particularly accessible book for the older seniors; something to keep in mind if you – like me – have an elderly shut-in in your life whose ability to enjoy nature is now primarily through a window.)
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