Sneed B. Collard III – STEM Friday

I don’t usually mention a book before it is published, but this week we are featuring Sneed B. Collard III’s new book Birds of Every Color, which is due out next month.

Right up front I should mention that this isn’t a concept book about colors. Instead, it delves deeply into the whys and hows of the fascinating array of bird feather hues.

For example, one page explains how birds get certain pigments from the food they eat and another explains about melanins, brown and black pigments that birds and other animals manufacture internally. Ever hear of psittacofulvins? You’ll find out about those, too.

Look closely and you will see bird colors may be different from place to place, season to season, and even between individual birds. Did you know that the extensiveness of the black bib of house sparrows. and the black and white patches on the heads of chickadees reflect their status in the flock?

As for the illustrations, on the last page we learn that either Sneed or his son, Braden took all the photographs for the book. Cool!

Birds of Every Color will enthrall budding ornithologists and nature lovers in general. Look for it in March.

If you love birds and want to participate in citizen science, check out the accompanying information and links for the Great Backyard Bird Count next weekend.

Over at Wrapped in Foil Blog today we’re highlighting Sneed B. Collard III’s middle grade book: One Iguana, Two Iguanas: A Story of Accident, Natural Selection, and Evolution. It is a Junior Library Guild selection and earned a starred Kirkus Review.

You may have heard about the Darwin’s finches that live on the Galápagos islands, but did you know that there are two related, but very different species of iguana found there? One of the species lives on land and eats the fruit of the prickly pear cactus. The other species is the only iguana in the world that can swim in the ocean. It is the marine iguana.

Genetic testing have shown that the two species are related. Collard introduces the reader to a puzzle how the two such divergent lifestyles may have come about and how they ended up on an island chain 900 miles from their nearest relatives. He also discusses the geology and history of the islands, and how that impacts the iguanas and the other creatures that live there.

Although this is a middle grade book by text level and content, it is illustrated with many large color photographs. Many of the photographs were taken by the author, who is also a photographer. Others were taken by his friend Jack Grove.

As the author states in the back matter, “considering how important evolution is to the history of the earth, it’s surprising how few books for young people have been written about it.” One Iguana, Two Iguanas: A Story of Accident, Natural Selection, and Evolution steps in to fill the gap. This book is a must have for budding scientists and anyone interested in nature. Scoop up a copy today!

And, check Wrapped in Foil for more information and activity suggestions.