Fandex - Birds

These are fantastic field guides that are very easy to use for identification - as far as finding the information goes. However, after fanning it out and trying to put it back together the cards get caught on each other and my older kids (5 & 7) can't put them back together. So, the physical construction and ease of use in that sense is perhaps geared toward older children and adults.

I have been a backyard birdwatcher since I was 8 years old and was eager to introduce my little girl to birds Fandex Birds was a good way to do it We kept it on the table near the front window Whenever we spotted a common bird in the front yard I would help her identify the field marks (red stripe yellow beak etc) and then show her the bird in Fandex Birds She really liked the real photos of birds and I liked that it has just enough text about each bird to tell her a little something about it but not lose her attention I use Fandex Birds as a supplement to some bird field guides that we keep on our bookshelves It contains 47 birds so it would only identify the most common birds if taken into the field That makes it a great starter but not a full bird-identification guide My only real criticism is that young children seem to think the birds� heads are life size because they look so real but the Ruby-throated hummingbird photo is the same size as the Bald eagle I can understand why that was necessary to make them all fit though It�s a little difficult for very small children to fan out the pages and put it back together neatly because the birds� beaks poke out in the way but that�s a small price to pay for the fun they have seeing the real bird pictures So what if they get bent a little when it piques their interest in nature?