Least Terns are endangered species. The book by Bruce Mcmillan is an effort to give readers a glimpse in the life of these little birds. With a catching opening line, the author starts his narrative. It starts when the birds reach the Maine beaches in summer. The book takes an in-depth look into the time that these birds are going to spend at the beach. From their description, to their hunting habits, on to their mating ritual and then raising their young, the book keeps the reader hooked. There are many positive aspects of the book. The first is that the book is not too long. It has just enough information to pique your interest without making it boring. In a few paragraphs, the author is able to give a lot of information. Another aspect that I definitely enjoyed was the authors comparison of human activities to those of the Terns ("With screams of delight, children splash and jump over the waves on their beach. On the Least Tern's beach, the terns land with a splash too"). Throughout the book, the author continues to compare the birds activities to human activities. This must be in an effort for the reader to identify with these birds. In an effort to humanize the birds, colorful and descriptive language is used (the advertising calls of the Least tern, young children and babies are cared for by their parents, young terns discover that something about then has changed). Exceptional pictures accompany the text. Here also the theme of comparing humans with the Terns continue. The picture at the end shows a human footprint next to a terns.
The information given in the book also seems well researched and in-depth like how the "birds don't swallow the fish tail-first, as the fishes scale would make it impossible to swallow", or "the salt from the salt water is secreted as saltwater droplets from nose hole found on the upper bill". the book ends with a glossary, Least Tern facts and a description about leg bands. I would recommend this book for readers as young as 7-10. The language as well as the photographs of the book makes it a fun read. ( )