Pu and Ru's Bird Beak Clues product reviews

The children were excited at getting their hands on a book that could offer them a challenge. It made an entertaining change as they could interact with the content rather than just reading the story. They flicked through the pages, naming the birds they recognised and asking about those they were not familiar with like the spoonbill and puteketeke. Their mother was totally on board too as she loves birds of all kinds, especially those that are native to Aotearoa New Zealand, so she joined in. All three were delighted that the dedication on the copyright page was to "people everywhere building a better future for wildlife".

The structure of the text and illustrations is designed so that readers can guess which bird is about to be featured before the page is actually turned. There are hints in the words used, and also in the pictures which reveal just enough of the bird's shape or behaviour without revealing it completely. The children were challenged to name the bird before it appeared on the next page, and they mostly got it right. It helped that the names were given in Te Reo Maori, with the English translation included if there was one. Some, like kea and kiwi, are so familiar that there is no need for any other name!

Pu and Ru are full of fascinating facts about the birds they are presenting. Miss Seven wondered why the puteketeke was described as being a beautiful dancer, so she and her mother googled it. They thought their goofy mating dance was priceless, involving plenty of head shaking and what could only be described as in-your-face showing off! Mr Five, however, was intrigued that the birds eat their own feathers. However, this is not unique to this species. I once had a budgie when I was his age, and my bird did it too!

We loved the way the birds are all featured against a background of their usual habitat. Not only does the reader get plenty of bird related information, but there are snapshots of the environment. Tramping huts in the mountains, thick dark forests, close-ups of native trees, the foreshore, swamplands, streams - in effect, the illustrations provide an overview of the various aspects of our country.

At the end of the book is a collection of various beaks, each belonging to one of the birds Pu and Ru have visited. They discuss them, and Ru comes to the conclusion that each one is unique, designed for a specific task. Pu insists that this is all very well, but the pukeko beak is the best of all. That is true IF you are a pukeko! But since neither Ru (ruru) or Pu (pukeko) is actually discussed because they are the investigators, they should not really get a say. It is up to the reader to decide which beak is best!