NEW PUBLICATION: Birds of Our Land

SYNOPSIS

When the author moved to Nigeria in the early 1970s with her young family, she discovered that Nigeria has so many fascinated birds that she wanted to share with her children and other children.  But she couldn’t find books on Nigerian or West African birds.  Instead, the bookshops had lots of books about birds from the United States and Britain.  This gave birth to Birds of Our Land*, a child’s guide to West African birds with the aim of introducing children to some of the many fascinating birds around them. It explains the basic features of birds and key things to note in observing them and is accompanied by beautiful paintings by illustrator Robin Gowen of 25 birds representing the major species in the region. Most of these are birds that children are likely to come across in most parts of West Africa, while a few are less familiar but amazing in some way.

Through its rich, poetic descriptions Birds of Our Land offers children a gateway to the natural world by introducing them to the basics of bird watching. This book also includes activities relating to birds and a guide for teachers and parents. It is more than a great read. Birds of Our Land is the perfect tool for parents and educators encouraging children to spend more time outdoors exploring the world of nature and giving them an appreciation of the beauty and interdependence of all forms of life.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Virginia Dike is a professor and head of the Department of Library and Information Science at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.  She grew up in the United States and has a BA in History from Harvard University and an MA in Education and an MSc in Library Science, both from Columbia University. She is a founding member of The Children Centre Library at the University of Nigeria in Nsukka.  She is an American by birth and Nigerian by marriage and has five children.
______________
*The book is published by Cassava Republic