"Of all wild creatures, birds are the most colorful and easiest to see. You don't need to travel to distant jungles or faraway islands. They live in our own backyards.... Birds are our neighbors. We should get to know them."

-- Robert Bateman

Internationally acclaimed wildlife artist and naturalist Robert Bateman has painted, sketched and enjoyed birds since he was a young boy. He shares his passion for birds and his unique talents as artist and storyteller in this informative introduction to birds for young readers and beginners at bird watching.

Backyard Birds abounds with Bateman's detailed sketches and full-color paintings of robins, chickadees, woodpeckers, blue jays, finches and many other familiar birds -- capturing their antics and beauty in a way that no photograph can.

The book includes brief facts about the different species, noted below, including their length, wingspan, weight, food, range, habitat and common calls. Bateman also provides his personal tips on identifying, feeding and finding birds.

The 36 bird families are:

• Red-winged Blackbirds and American Crows
• Baltimore Orioles and American Redstarts
• Mallards and Canada Geese
• Great Blue Herons and Belted Kingfishers
• Red-tailed Hawks and Great Horned Owls
• Mourning Doves and Wild Turkeys
• Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and Rufous Hummingbirds
• Barn Swallows and Chimney Swifts
• Hairy Woodpeckers and Downy Woodpeckers
• Dark-eyed Juncos and White-breasted Nuthatches
• American Robins and Bluebirds
• Blue Jays and Gray Jays
• Northern Cardinals and Cedar Waxwings
• Indigo Buntings and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks
• American Goldfinches and House Finches
• Sparrows: Song Sparrow, American Tree Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, and House Sparrow.

Spreads on Migration; Attracting Birds to Your Backyard; The Cycle of Family Life; and Bird Senses (Eyes, Ears, Voice, Brain, Feathers) round out this beautiful book.

About the Author:

Robert Bateman began his lifelong education as an artist, naturalist and birder in the tree-filled ravine behind his boyhood home in Toronto. By the mid-1960s, inspired by the word of Andrew Wyeth, Bateman had turned to a more realistic style, taking as his subjects the wildlife he had long studied. Today his original artwork and limited-edition prints are sought by collectors the world over. Robert Bateman lives with his wife, Birgit, and his family on one of the Gulf Islands off Canada's western coast.