New October 2011!

               Birds in Our Backyard

                      
                 Text by Adele Porter •  Photography by Bill Marchel


Click on the Northern Cardinal to hear its song.

                                                                            Text excerpt from SUMMER


         "What's a parent bird to do
          Taking care of such a brood?

          Bring them insects, bring them bugs,
          Frogs and toads and slimy slugs,
          Toss in snakes, a mouse, a vole -
          Their stomach is a gaping hole.

          When the young call out, chac, chac,
          Summer's ending - time to pack.

          Come outside, come and discover -
          Birds nesting here: its summer!"

                                                                                                     
                                                                                                         Text excerpt from WINTER

  

          "In the far north, guests arrive:
           Open spaces come alive.

          Yellow eyes and giant sized -
          Poof! - owls materialize.

          Silently they catch their prey:
          Most by night, but some by day."
Pre-order: Birds in Our Backyard
Pre-order your personal and library or classroom copies now. Order books.


Teacher and Storytime Guides

Teachers and librarians have free access to two levels of guides to enhance their students'
experience with Birds in Our Backyard.


Available October 2011: Minnesota Historical Society Press
http://shop.mnhs.org




Birds in Our Backyard

Children's Picture Book/Nature, Ages 4-8

Minnesota Historical Society Press

$16.95,      ISBN: 978-0-87351-836-9
48 pages, 10 X 8 1/2, 35 color photos

A prairie chicken dancing to the beat,
a Red-winged Blackbird flashing his
snazzy wing patches, a grouse growing
its own "snowshoes," and American
Robins traveling north in the spring share
at least one characteristic - they all call
Minnesota home at some point during
the year. Birds in Our Backyard invites
children into the lives of these winged
wonders.

Season by season, kids discover which
birds they see, how far they have traveled,
where they build their homes, and what
they like to eat. Adele Porter and
award-wining nature photographer Bill
Marchel bring to life the world of birds -
the colors, the sounds, the wonder of flight.

Did You Know?
Did you know that there is a bird highway in the sky above the Mississippi River? Find fun facts inside easy-to-read text balloons throughout the books' 48 pages.
Bill Marchel
Photographer
Birds in Our Backyard

It was a very cold day in the wilds of northern Minnesota when the bright yellow eyes of a Great Gray Owl looked into the camera lens of wildlife photographer, Bill Marchel. That connection has been expertly captured for readers to relive each time the cover of Birds in Our Backyard is opened.

In all, there are 35 bird photographs featured in
Birds in Our Backyard, making for 35 exciting tales of outdoor adventure. You can find more of Bill's photos at his website, www.BillMARCHEL.com.

About Bill Marchel:
Bill is a full-time wildlife and outdoor photographer and writer from Fort Ripley, Minnesota.  His photo files contain over 120,000 images that include over 100 magazine cover photos to such magazines as Audubon, Field & Stream, National Wildlife, and Ducks Unlimited.  His writing appears in a weekly column titled Afield for the Minneapolis Star Tribune. 

Thank you Bill for the brilliant photos in Birds in Our Backyard!
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      Birds for Kids is an online resource for kids, parents, and educators with focus on
      the science and exploration of North American birds and ecological stewardship.