Roger Tory Peterson (1908–1996)

#63 in my 365 Kids Books challenge. For a fuller explanation see my review for [b:101 Amazing Facts about Australia|21332402|101 Amazing Facts about Australia (Countries of the World)|Jack Goldstein|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1394253825l/21332402._SY75_.jpg|25417728] You can see all the books on their own shelf.

Wow, so much stuff! Usually I'm complaining about a dearth of actual information but this is chock full of penguiny goodness. And it's the show more best because of Peterson 's anecdotal style: people he knew who were cut open by razor sharp beaks kind of thing. You couldn't sit down and read the whole thing as a bedtime story, but for a kid who is interested it's awesome. Even a kid who isn't particularly fascinated by penguins or polar regions would probably enjoy just looking at the pictures. Having both photos and sketches shows different aspects of appearance. Also, magnificent scenery and enormous colonies.

Library copy show less

I have so many bird guides but this is the one that I always go back to! When I started out, I didn't understand why the author used drawings, but now I know it's brilliant. Birds look different in every photograh but a drawing with an arrow pointing to a good ID feature is key! Wondrful book, my only complaint is that I always want more information about a species than the small paragraph given. This book was designed to be carried on a birding trip so I guess it can't be a tome.

I love ferns and photograph them often. Trouble was that I had very little idea which was which. This is an updated version of a book written in the 50s I think and, like other Peterson guides, uses a combination of drawings and photographs along with informational text to help you figure out what gorgeous little fern you're looking at. The beginning includes a general morphology on ferns; from rhizome to pinnule. It also explains how pinnae work which is so important for identifying ferns show more (is it single, bi- or tri-pinnate?). Some fern entries go on for several pages with complete information about habitat, ecology, range, rhizome, blade, and more. Thorough and full of detail. show less

This field guide, geared for younger readers, is a more consice version of the longer Peterson's guide. On the positive side, it is smaller, and convieniently will fit in a pocket (for most adults). It has 188 of the most common species that most birders will be introduced to when learning about birds. It features illustrations rather than pictures (as does the adult version) with multiple similar species on the same page, however, it does not feature some of the disambiguation pages that show more are so helpful in the full guide. It also follows the same taxonomic format (without most of the latin names) as the Peterson's guide, so it familiarizes learners with the format most guides follow.

The biggest (and to me, this is big) fault I have with the guide is that it covers all of America and does not include range maps. Combining this with the fact that so many birds that are often encountered in my area (SE Louisiana) are absent (y. crowned night heron, w. pelican, tricolor heron, b. necked stilt, to name a few very common birds in my area from the first few pages) make this guide less useful than other beginners' guides I have come across. show less