Birds of a Feather: Bowerbirds and Me by Susan L. Roth (review)

The well-known picture-book author and artist takes a quirky look at her own work and some natural history as she compares her collage creating to the male bowerbird's construction of elaborate bowers. Both the bird and the artist incorporate found materials "that we use in unusual ways to create different and unexpected compositions in rather small, defined spaces"; both love color; both value originality; both seek beauty (though Roth does it "to tell a story" and the bird does it "to attract a mate"). Even their manipulations can be compared, with the bird using his beak the way she does her tweezers, and his feet the way she does her hands. It's a clever and intriguing comparison, and the parallel neatly illustrates underconsidered animal/ human similarities without laboring the point. Roth's collages and meta-collages are fascinatingly intricate, at their best with textures of hair, bower, and feathers; more photos of bowerbird construction would have given more clarity on those unfamiliar creations, but there are some verdant collage "snapshots" of the birds' work. Budding artists may be inspired by the inviting maker scenes, while young naturalists will want to hear more about these and other artistic animal creations. End matter includes more facts about bowerbirds and their bowers, more information about the artist and the similarities between her and the birds' creations, and a bibliography of bowerbird information.