Review: Feathers: Not Just for Flying

Feathers: Not Just for Flying by Melissa Stewart

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Stewart made a cross-cutting narrative that was a clear arc across the entire book, using similes to find human connection to the information. This broader presentation is in large print at the top of each page, suggesting a read-aloud of the entire book to get the main point (diverse functions of feathers on various kinds of birds) before coming back to look at the detailed text vignettes on each page that explain feather functions in more informational terms.

Remarkable illustrations, challenging material, demanding a realism that must have been painstaking. What was even more fun about the illustration was how Brannen illustrated all the little adhesives and office supplies (frames, paper, cardboard, pins, paperclips, tape, staples). This gave me the feeling that I was looking at her visual research, not just at her paintings. I loved how this playful postmodern decision makes me think about Brannen and storyboarding process.

While some of the writing work, and certainly the illustrations added to the informational outline, this is clearly one of those books where the question "is it better than looking at the wikipedia page" raises my eyebrows. I think there should have been a different cut through this topic to justify a full four-color hard-cover picture book.



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