This is another graphic novel in the kids’ series “Science Comics”. This one focused on diurnal raptors/birds of prey (owls are also raptors, but they are nocturnal, so are not included in this book). Some things described in the book include their various body parts, what they hunt and how, how they fly, mating, and loss of habitat and human threats (like DDT, which of course, was banned in the early 70s), and probably more I’m forgetting at this moment.

These are so good with so much information. I’ll never remember even half of it probably, but it’s done so well, and the (colour) illustrations are beautiful. Even simple things I probably should have known like what characteristics distinguish a raptor. It was interesting to see the close-up illustrations of the birds, like their beaks and talons to distinguish, as I am never likely to see that in person! I am enjoying this entire series so much. ( )

Lots of cool facts, well presented, with enough narrative cohesion to keep our interest. ( )

Less cohesive than the other entries I've read in the series (Cats and Dogs, both by Andy Hirsch), as we don't really have a single narrator carrying us through the story. There's a falconer from a Ren Faire who kind of leads the way, who has as semi-sidekicks a goshawk and a squirrel. Audubon and other bird experts (including the founder of Hawk Mountain, which was fun for me, since my family has been vacationing in that area since I was little!) speak up as well, but as a result there isn't really a single, flowing narrative.

Oh, and don't get too attached to that squirrel--in the last pages, our Ren Faire guy gives him a head start before setting the goshawk after it, and the final page shows the bird closing in, talons extended! And in addition to the ripping of flesh that you'd expect from a book about predators, there's one panel showing the inside of a piece of prey, where a talon punctures the skin while a heart, liver, and set of lungs drawn with eyes cower in fear.

There are also a couple unexplained references, like one to Newton's Third Law when explaining how wind moves over wings. What's Newton's Third Law? What does it mean? The audience might not know that. Heck, I've forgotten which of Newton's laws the third one is. (From Wikipedia: "If two bodies exert forces on each other, these forces have the same magnitude but opposite directions.")

Still, what the book lacks in cohesion it makes up for in cool facts, like:

>> Birds' bones aren't nearly hollow to reduce body weight--they actually have air sacs that help the lungs during flight, which isn't exactly easy. As Flood puts it, "During the strenuous activity of flying, the air sacs act as bellows that continuously bring oxygen into the lungs, cooling the bird's body as well."
>> Once an osprey has caught a fish, they point its head forward to reduce wind drag.
>> Australia's wedge-tailed eagles will work in pairs to hunt kangaroos. Flippin' kangaroos!
>> Extinct species argentavis magnificens had a wingspan of almost 23 fee5!
>> The largest ever eagle by body weight, Haast's eagle, lived in New Zealand but died off with the arrival of the Maori, who hunted its main prey, the huge and flightless moa, to extinction.

There are also some great, funny pictures: pizza rat makes an appearance, and when our narrator and his sidekicks visit the lab, all three of them don protective gear, including full-body suits, booties on paws and talons, and masks.

So: fun, informative, but not quite as coherent as Hirsch's entries. ( )