Whenever you hear a chirp, your mind always searches for that tiny being in your surroundings and tries to follow that sound for a while. If you can recognize it, you keep on wondering where they are from and how long they will be here. This is the beauty of nature and of this book, 'The Complete Language of Birds' by Randi Minetor—an encyclopedia for anyone intrigued by birds.

Apart from being definitive and illustrated, what holds the reader beyond flipping the pages is the section ‘Folklore and Facts’. Along with the stories of the birds, the author digs into the perceptions surrounding those stories as well. It is a good book to take on trekking trips or to wildlife expeditions. However, for some birds, neither photographs nor graphical representations are provided, which may make them hard to identify. ‘Symbolic Meaning’ and ‘Possible Powers’ are also sections that surprise the reader and provoke them to think about the birds anew with a fresh perspective. It would be interesting to see what impact the birds mentioned as ‘extinct’ in the recent past had on the environment. Sometimes, the migration of these birds can change the topography of a particular region. Understanding why and how these birds have fallen into this category may help us to understand where humanity is heading.

The author is well-experienced and thoroughly interested in the subject, which echoes throughout the entire book. This kind of literature is not produced without years of research or deep inquiry into the topic. It would be great to read other non-fiction works by the author as well. In addition to the content of the book, the graphics also stand the test of time—they are unique, timeless, and explicit. Special gratitude is owed to the publisher for making such a book accessible to the audience.

I would definitely recommend this book to young people as well as anyone fascinated by birds, hiking, or wildlife. I would love to give five out of five stars to this beautiful encyclopedia by Randi Minetor.

In my opinion, a "must have" book for bird enthusiasts. It feels a little more beginner-intermediate friendly by being concise about each bird. I further suspect the target audience is a more casual audience/reader base since it has a unique format to include "folklore," "endangered species status," "symbolism," etc., in each entry.

Interesting facts like those make a good potential reference for fictional reference/implementation. Whether being inspired as character/creature designs, stories, and/or characters/creatures themselves. I admire when books intentionally or unintentionally have other uses like that.

The choice of illustrations vs. photos for the birds impresses me. As a hobby artist, the technical skill level of the art astounds me. It's more common to use photos, so I found it to be refreshing to use professional illustrations instead.

Thank you again to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for letting me look through this advance copy. I'll add Randi Minetor to my radar for other non-fiction books.

This book was well organized and contained a wealth of information. It was easy to look for specific birds and I especially liked the hidden and symbolic meanings for each bird. The only complaint I have is that some birds didn’t have illustrations and I had to look elsewhere to see images.

Very interesting! I wanted to know more about birds to use in my DND campaign and this book came in handy!

I was very impressed with all the information provided in this book. It has great pictures of the birds and extensive details about them. I especially enjoyed reading about their folklore and facts. I would highly recommend this book to any bird enthusiast or animal lover.

This book actually blew me away with its attention to detail and artwork!! I was so pleasantly surprised and intrigued as I went through the pages. I have a brother who is a bird lover and I would absolutely purchase this as a gift for him! It's informative and beautifully made, and even has a section on mythical birds! I'm incredibly impressed.

This is a great resource for learning more about birds! It provides you with information about each birds physicality, history, symbolism and folklore. I really liked the illustrations and the how to use section! Very original and infromative

Equal parts informative and inspiring, The Complete Language of Birds is a fantastic non-fiction book about how to speak bird (by learning more about them) - facts, lovely images and the links to mythology all in one book.
Next time my child and I see a birds covered in this book, we will approach it tell it tales about its ancestors, itself and if it likes, about other birds.
This is a book to enjoy with your family, pick up from the shelves from time to time and read a random page from.

A must have books for anyone interested in birds. This delightful encyclopedia of birds offers not only physical qualities of the various species of birds but the history, symbolic meanings, and legends and folklores pertaining to the specific bird. The book is such a beautiful collection and easy to read book to learn about more birds. I loved reading this and getting to know the various types birds and the history and myths surrounding them. It's a must have book and a delightful read!

Release Date: September 3,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Wellfleet Press | Wellfleet Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Gorgeously illustrated and filled with interesting facts about birds around the world, I especially love that it includes the mythology linked to each one too. My only quibble was that the Robin, one of my favourites was not included as I’d love to know why we think ‘Robins appear when loved ones are near’!

Thank you Netgalley, Quarto and Randi Minetor for this ARC.

First off, I really liked the "How to Use this Book" section at the beginning. It outlines how the book is organized and how to use the index in the back. The illustrations were beautiful but hard to see in ebook format. This book is mush more suited to a physical book than an ebook. I wish all the birds had illustrations to go with their information. I also liked the added touch of the "Symbolic Meanings" and "Folklore and Facts" sections. I have not seen anything like this is a bird book before and thought it made it more fun to read! The Mythical birds at the end were also a fun touch. This would be a great book for anyone who wants to learn about birds but wants something a little bit different.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an Advanced Reader’s Copy in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, the cover of this book is gorgeous! The inside of the book is equally beautiful. There are very interesting facts about hundreds of birds. A reader will learn possible powers the birds have, such as practicality or energy. Readers also learn about symbolic meanings, folklore, and facts. I highly recommend nature or bird lovers read this book.

I appreciate NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for a review.