I Found a Dead Bird: The Kids' Guide to the Cycle of Life and Death

Features

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Cover Type: Paperback with 64 pages
• Published by: Maple Tree Press July 12, 2006
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 1897066716
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-1897066713
• Book Dimensions: 10.3 x 7.8 x 0.3 inches
• Weighs: 7.2 ounces

From School Library Journal
Grade 3-6–This straightforward, no holds barred approach to the subject will captivate children. Chock-full of color photographs, the well-designed book contains boxes with tidbits of information on a wide variety of topics, such as death of a species, human destruction, plant decomposition, trapped in time, and learning from death. The spread on animal decomposition has the following caveat: WARNING: Icky, Oozy, Stinky Stuff–just the type of thing that kids will love. Subjects such as funeral customs and the afterlife are also briefly addressed. Mummies, skeletons, microscopic bacteria, and the six stages of decomposition of a pig illustrate this eye-catching book. One discrepancy was noted: in the section entitled When People Die, the author states there's something that makes us different than other living things…we react to death….We cry over our dead…. Then, in the next section, entitled Grieving, under the heading Do Elephants Weep? the author writes, there is much evidence to think that some animals react to death and wail over their dead. So, maybe humans aren't so different from the other animals. An extensive index makes the variety of topics easy to locate.–Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Description
The death of a bird is the jumping-off point for this intelligent, wide-ranging look at the cycle of life. From life spans to how things die, from what happens after death to how people cope with the loss of a loved one, Jan Thornhill guides young readers through difficult territory with grace, sensitivity, and touches of humor. She tackles the subject head on, never shirking from reality, but with a life-affirming perspective that connects death to the world around us as part of the natural, never-ending cycle of life. The book’s lively design and color photographs reinforce Thornhill’s pragmatic, positive tone.

Reader Reviews
Kids start asking about life and death around the age of four. This book is almost perfect but I wish I'd had a better chance to look it over better before buying. It has really great information for a lot of older children, but trying to quickly cover things like the Holocaust (with pictures of dead human bodies) is too much information for my already anxious 4 year old son.