Beaux oiseaux

by Jean Roussen, Emmanuelle Walker (Illustrations)

Connais-tu le pinson, l'albatros, l'alouette, le rossignol, le kakapo ou bien encore le jacana ? 40 especes differentes dans une explosion de couleurs pour un voyage magique dans le monde des oiseaux.

Cet album plein de poesie est une invitation au voyage pour decouvrir les plus beaux oiseaux du monde.

Genres: Picture Books, Birds, Animals, Childrens, Nature, Nonfiction, Art

48 pages, Hardcover

First published March 10, 2015

About the author

Jean Roussen is a Swiss French graphic designer and writer who dabbles in publishing from time to time.

Reviews

[Dani ❤️ Perspective of a Writer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Check out more picture book reviews @ Perspective of a Writer...

An alphabet of birds told in verse from Warblers to Blue-tits and Kakapos to Owls.

I really liked the art but I didn't love it as I expected too... I chose this book because my nephew enjoys drawing birds and the shapes should be easy for him to duplicate. None of the spreads really spoke to us except for the feather one which he drew and which we both ADORED!

Honestly we DO NOT enjoy poems or stories in verse. If I had realized that this is what I would get we wouldn't even have picked it up... as it was the poem seemed to be written NOT as a picture book but was adapted to such. What that means is that a child was not the focus of the poem and it shows. My nephew was totally clueless about the words and they were frankly TOO difficult for him.

To be honest this book is a mess! We didn't hate it but we normally don't feel so MEH about a picture book...

BOTTOM LINE: A mess of birds...

______________________
You can find this review and many others on my book blog @ Perspective of a Writer. See my picture book reviews in a special feature called Boo's Picture Gallery...

[Kitty G Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

* I was sent this for free from the publishers in exchange for an honest review *

I really liked this one I must admit, it was lovely and beautiful and really quite a joy to read. I loved the fact that it rhymed and yet it was simple so it worked well for children, reading to children, or just anyone who appreciates playful, chirpy illustration style :)

4*s overall and definitely recommended!

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This alphabet book features one amazing bird after another shown in both playful and gorgeous illustrations. The book is told in rhyming couplets that feature a little information about each species of bird. The birds are exotic, featuring jacana, kakapo, and quetzal. They are mixed with backyard birds like robin, geese, nuthatches, and woodpeckers. Each one is given their own page on which to shine.

The rhyming couplets create a book that has a jaunty swing to it, moving swiftly from one bird to the next. The rhymes are well done, neither filled with sing-song tones or too forced. Instead they add a touch of humor to the book, a feeling of not taking themselves too seriously. The result is a light-hearted mix of silliness and feathers.

The illustrations by Walker form the heart of this book. Each page displays plumage with a grand style. Done with a modern feel, the illustrations are stylized and strong. One of my favorite pages has the color of doves changing to ducks along the page break.

Stylish, jaunty and fun, this alphabet bird book is no feather weight. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

[Lydia Duncalfe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starts off strong, but the rhyming text gets weaker as it goes along. Anytime you write a themed alphabet book its success is going to rest on how you handle the difficult letters. Roussen does okay, but not great. The illustrations keep this in the 3 star range, because they are brilliant with the added feature of a very eye-catching repeating magenta.

[Rosie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a lot of potential for story time. While the rhymes are a little bit forced (v isn't a bird at all), the bright and beautiful illustrations are what really makes the book memorable. I can see where kids would really enjoy learning the names of the featured species.

[Laura McLoughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really lived up to the beautiful in the title.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

absolutely stunning book but some of the rhyming is slightly lacking. still the beauty of this picture book does make up for the stilted rhymes.

*I was sent this book for an honest review

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some will love it, but me, eh....

[Kat Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much to love in Roussen and Walker's feathery effort, "Beautiful Birds". It takes the tired tropes of ABC books + a rhyming scheme and manages to make it fresh, fanciful, and a little witty all at the same time. It's the perfect book for the amateur birdwatchers in your life, with pages chock full of new facts + bright colors that add dimension and flair to an otherwise outdated hobby. BRB...going to reread this one again.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book! May just make a birdwatcher out of you yet!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

True to its name, a beautiful book that covers a wide variety of bird species, from domestic to wild, backyard to exotic. An ABC book told in nice flowing rhyme.

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Love the illustrations, but not the writing. Poetry didn’t flow at all... Very choppy.

[Trisha Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

The art in this bird alphabet picture book is stunning.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful, brightly colored illustrations. A charming, engaging alphabet book.

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, vibrant illustrations; stilted rhyming text.

[Lcharlson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The color just pops from the page!

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gorgeous book!

[skcocnaH · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these colorful illustrations!

[Alex Wolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was beautifully illustrated and fun to read

[Whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review written for and published by Portland Book Review on September 17th:

Beautiful Birds is a bright and colorful hardcover children’s book. A classic alphabet learning tool, the book introduces young children to different species of birds from around the world. Some letters are only one page each, while others span two, and several letters introduce more than one bird. For example, the letter ‘K’ introduces readers to the Kakapo, and the Kiwi. The letters and their matching bird are introduced through a short rhyme on each page.

The book is very tall, and may not fit too well on the standard sized bookshelf. The letters of the alphabet are small, and almost blend into the rest of the words on the page, so this is clearly meant for kids that have already had basic exposure to their letters. While the book is a cute and visually stimulating way to help reinforce the alphabet, the true focus in on the birds themselves and the artwork on each page. The illustrations are quite lovely, and are bound to introduce your little one to quite a few bird species they may never have heard of previously. This would be a great book for younger children, particularly those who have shown an interest in birds.

[Christine Turner]

In this stunningly illustrated introduction to the world's most beautiful birds, Jean Roussen and Emmanuelle Walker pay homage to an alphabet of birds in all their feathery fancies. From Warblers to Blue-tits and Kakapos to Owls, Roussen's playful, melodic poem is complemented beautifully by Walker's delicate illustrations.
Jean Roussen is a Swiss French graphic designer and writer who dabbles in publishing from time to time.
Emmanuelle Walker is an animation director and illustrator from Montreal, Quebec. As well as contributing to Nobrow magazine ( Nobrow 8: Hysteria ), she has worked with international animation studios across the world (Walt Disney Ltd., Sherbert and Nexus). She lives and works in London, England.

Notes
Jean Roussen is a Swiss-French graphic designer and writer, who dabbles in publishing from time to time.

Emmanuelle Walker is an animation director and illustrator from Montreal, Quebec. As well as contributing to Nobrow magazine (Nobrow 8: Hysteria), she has worked with international animation studios across the world (Walt Disney Ltd., Sherbert). She lives and works in London.

Subject: Birds -- Juvenile fiction
Alphabet -- Juvenile fiction
Animals -- Juvenile fiction

[Stuart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful Birds is a 12" x 9" fully illustrated "A is for" book. By this description, I mean that each letter of the alphabet has a bird associated with it. For example, "A is for albatross, the admiral of the skies. B is for bee-eaters, BEWARE any bug that flies." Each page is dedicated to one bird, with a vibrantly colored illustration, and a one-line descriptor, as seen above. As you can also see there is a bit of a rhyming scheme to this book, but a lot of the descriptors are too advanced for the intended audience of this book. "Q is for quetzal, a god among us." How many 7 year-old children will know about the Aztecs and their deities? If you take this book at face value, which is a gorgeously illustrated book that can teach your children the alphabet and birds at the same time, then it is a top-notch book. If your children have more questions after reading about some of these birds, then you could make expand the lesson for this book and research the birds that interest them. You could also use it as a beginner's field guide. Overall, a quality made book that your kids will enjoy reading through.

[Matthew Winner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Next up is a book by Flying Eye [Books], which is called Beautiful Birds and it's written and illustrated by J. [Jean] Roussen and E. [Emmanuelle] Walker. This, as well, has some of the most beautiful design I've seen in a picture book. This goes alphabetically through a number of different bird species, and just every single page looks like it could be ripped out and framed. I love the dimensions; It's a very tall book and it covers a great number of birds that I hadn't heard of before and I think will be new to readers. The text rhymes, but really the star of the book here is is the art and how beautifully portrayed these different birds are. to check it out. So check it out. That's Beautiful Birds published from Flying Eye Books.

This review appears on an episode of the “Best Book Ever [this week]” segment of the Let’s Get Busy podcast. Check out the original post here: http://lgbpodcast.blogspot.com/2015/0...

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Away from the sights and noise of a city, in the early morning or early evening if you pause and listen, a springtime symphony swirls about you. For some reason, perhaps due to the length and bitter cold of this winter, the sounds are even sweeter this year. Now, inside my home, as the sun sets low on the horizon I can hear them calling to one another.

If you watch them, even in passing, they hop and stop to pick up bits of food or materials for nests. The way they flit, float and fly using the air along with their feathers is astonishing. Beautiful Birds (Flying Eye Books, March 1, 2015) written by Jean Roussen with illustrations by Emmanuelle Walker is a gorgeous book expressing gratitude for these winged marvels.


My full recommendation: http://librariansquest.blogspot.com/2...

[Arminzerella · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jean Roussen’s rhyming text circumnavigates the alphabet bird by bird (with a few cheats for some more difficult letters). Flow and rhythm often take a backseat in the writer’s stretch for the perfect rhyme, but little ones will probably be too busy examining the brightly colored, crisp illustrations to notice any awkwardness. Splashes of fluorescent orange highlight eyes, beaks, flowers, and more, and draw attention to the page. Some more unusual bird species are mentioned – kakapos, kiwis, jacanas, etc. – and may encourage readers to seek out more information. Serious birders and ornithologists should give this a pass – it would have been far more impressive if the text were more specific to the species chosen (and included more relevant facts) – but most will be wowed by the gorgeous illustrations.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

The birds in this brightly-illustrated picture book truly are beautiful as they wing across the sky. Starting with A for albatross and ending with Z for zosteropidae, readers follow rhyming verses to learn a little bit more about birds in this ABC book. My favorite illustrations are the cockatoos; the macaw, described as "rainbows that ruffle" (unpaged); and the woodpeckers, but I'm also fond of the albatross, depicted in formation with a series of aerodynamic airplanes filling the airspace above the earth. I wish there had been thumbnail sketches as back matter to provide additional information about the birds. Still, I learned the names of some birds I'd never encountered before, which is always fun.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is simply gorgeous with fabulous illustrations. It's hard to believe it's an ABC book.I like the the authors picked out-of-the-ordinary birds to introduce kids to new kinds, like "X is for xanthocephalus," and "L is for Lyrebird". It's even cooler because the whole thing is voiced by a peacock, who proclaims himself "the most beautiful bird." The front end pages features different kinds of eggs and the back has the eggs hatched with their corresponding baby birds. Highly recommended for ages 2-5, 5 stars.

[Diane D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Targeted for the Grades 1-4 group this is a stunning book that covers birds of the alphabet from A (Albatross) through -Z (Zosteropidae). Each page features a beautiful bird (or two) and a one-line rhyming phrase about the bird(s). The 4 - year old loved this book as they are studying birds in science at preschool. This one is a keeper for the permanent bookshelves (although it's one of those taller books that may require a higher shelf space. Gorgeous book - BUY IT (or at least ask your library to purchase this one) !

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

5 for looks, 3 for content, so we split the difference at 4 stars.

The rhymes are shaky and a little bit distracting because of that shakiness, but it is SUCH a pretty book. I would probably buy it for that, but I think I and adults LIKE me would find it pretty and interesting -- it's hard to say how a kid reader would interpret it.

Still -- gorgeous.