Growing up my dad taught me a wealth of information about birds. During our time spent outdoors, whether at home, on our farm in the Berg, or away on holiday at the beach or bush, he was always sharing the names of the different feathered species with me. So, when I became a mom I started to pass on to Amy and Ethan what I knew about birds.
We are lucky that we live in a wooded neighbourhood and so we are often visited by different birds, but even so I am always amazed at just how many birds’ names they now know. I’m sure you can imagine our excitement when the wonderful new children’s book Hungry Birds of Africa, written by local Durban author Haden Clendinning, arrived with us.
The book features striking bold and brightly coloured illustrations that bring the tale of each featured bird to life. Your children will love the rhyming text which will see you meeting nine different, hungry birds, including a Loerie, Guinefowl and Woodpecker to name a few. You’ll learn what each bird eats, and you’ll also be able to spot the bird’s favourite food on each page too.
Let’s meet the Hoopoe:
“I’m hungry, oh so hungry
But I am no fancy pants
For breakfast every morning
I catch some crunchy ants.”
The birds you will meet in Hungry Birds of Africa are ones that you’ll likely encounter in your own gardens (yes, even the Hadeda!), and it’s a wonderful book to start teaching your children about the beautiful African birds that live in our world. Let’s also not forget that local is lekker and we should all support our fantastic local South African authors.
Hungry Birds of Africa is available from bookstores and online retailers for a recommended retail price of R80. It’s recommended for children aged four to eight years old.
Thanks to Penguin Random House for sharing this tale of the Hungry Birds of Africa with us.
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