My thanks to NetGalley and publishers for a copy of “Bird Talk” for an honest review.

I was drawn to this book as I often wish I could recognise different bird calls.Unfortunately this book really catered for the American market , so the selection of birds that I might hear while out in my English garden was very limited !
It was a humorous take on the subject , and informative but not really of any use to me

If this was a handheld guide that I could carry around easily, I would 100% become a bird watcher! I can never tell the difference based on coloring or size...just like I can't do directions in East/West... I need things like, turn at the Home Depot....this bird book is PERFECT!!

Very cute book and from the bird noises I did know it was very accurate. The pictures were lovely and I liked the analogies. My partner liked it because I keep giggling. Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.

Bird Talk’s shtick could have gotten old super quickly. Fortunately, Becca Rowland filled each entry with her sarcastic wit, which made it much more readable. Some of the drawings had funny captions too. Still, I see this as more of a reference guide than a book that most people would read from beginning to end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

In her debut book, Bird Talk, author Becca Rowland takes a fresh approach to identifying birds by the sounds they make. Instead of the phonetics seen in the majority of books around bird song, Rowland compares each bird to sounds you might hear in every day life – motorbikes, chain saws, sirens, etc, etc. The pages are brightened throughout with vibrant art work and illustrations.

The book has a North American focus, although there is a chapter on birds from the rest of the world – and they’re also scattered somewhat randomly through the rest of the book. I’m not entirely convinced by some of the comparisons the author uses. Personally, hearing a flock of blue tits pass by has never conjured up the sound of morse code to me, but each to their own.

Not a book that overly resonated with me, but a perfect by for any young nature fans in the family.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storey Publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. As a bird watcher and lover, I felt this book was overdone and like it was trying to ride the coattails of The Dumb Birds of North America. Additionally, I didn't feel like the mix of birds from around the world was a good idea either.

Review to come around June on Blog/goodreads/other places.

I received this book from the publisher/Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

I just adore books about birds, birds are such wonderful creatures. And when I saw this book along with the subtitle: Hilariously Accurate Ways to Identify Birds by the Sounds They Make. I knew I had to request this book!

And I am glad I did, I laughed so much while reading. OK, there were a lot of birds that are only in the US, so I never heard them, but there were also plenty of birds that I did have in my Europe regions and at points I could only nod along and laugh. I love that this book, unlike many others, actually give you a relatable sound. No this bird does chirp cheep cheep and add a thrill to this part and a low bar there. Oh no, in this book we get to read about birds that make a sound that sounds like Cheeseburger. Which yeah, I guess if you hear that one you may think you gone crazy and wonder if that is the hunger talking or something else. But there are also many others, like swings creaking in the breeze. Or when you got that cough stuck in your body. Or car alarms. Or a leaky faucet. For each bird there is a sound. 

There are various sections with the birds in them that fit that section. From Basic Birds (which sound rude, but well is 100% true) to Birds that sounds like other animals (that penguin for instance) to Scavengers and many more. I really liked seeing what was in each section, but of course, the most important thing for me was, what is that sound?? And now I know that herons make chainsaw sounds, which makes me wonder if all the times I have heard chainsaws it was that bird, I mean, I have heard that sound in such weird times, haha. And I definitely need to listen to some tits, the ones we have around then, like the Eurasian Tit, I need to see if it really makes a noise like a morse code being send. There are so many birds that I would love to hear in real life, because I knew a few of these thanks to Youtube/TikTok, if only I was in America, oh wait, eww, no. Sorry Americans. Though I would also love to visit those in other regions. For now I guess I will just stick to Youtube/TikTok to get the sounds. I really had a lot of fun reading this one and seeing what birds make what sounds + get some more information on the bird. In a funny way. Because even with the relatable sound this could get a bit boring, but instead the book brings a lot more humour along and so I was just laughing hard and enjoying myself a lot, which is nice because I am writing this in February with a terrible flu. I could use some laughs.

Also found in those sections are small essays about facets of the bird. From eggs to nests to much more. I really liked that those were added as the broke the monotone of bird x sound it makes. They were just as interesting to read as the sounds so that is also fun.

The illustrations were just A-Plus. I loved the added text bubble to the bird and see what he had to say this time, which often made me laugh.

So, you need a laugh? You like birds? You want a guide that gives you an actual sound? Then be sure to check this one out!

This was a hilarious overview about the sounds that birds make. I thought the illustrations were well-done and added a fun touch. The information was very digestible and humorous while still being incredibly informative. I thought the birds as zodiac signs was a fun addition.
What makes this book is the humor. I originally requested this because I had the weirdest experience years ago and thought I was going crazy for thinking I was hearing a bird say "cheese-bur-ger." Glad to see I'm not crazy and there really is a bird that sounds like that!
I think the chapters were split up nicely, and this was a fun read for someone who's go-to genre is not non-fiction.