Mike Spinak: Growing up Humming

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I normally read thriller/mystery novels so writing a review of a nature photography book for children was a real challenge. So I called for the help of my 5 year old grandson, Jack, who we are looking after during the Australian summer school holidays - and this review is just as much his as mine.

Jack sat on my lap while I read the book to him (in PDF format on my PC). He was transfixed by the fantastic photography and the tale about the first few days in the life of 2 Anna's hummingbird chicks. He clicked the page down as he absorbed each page. While the book is probably targeted at 8 years +, it is clear that Jack absorbed most of the story and would certainly give it a top rating. We don't have humming birds in Australia but he is very familiar with the many small honey-eaters who gather nectar from the flowers on the Grevillia shrubs in our garden.

Mike Spinak's photography is stunning as it visually documents the early life of the humming bird. The text is clear, well targeted and educational without being overly detailed.

I was sent a low resolution PDF of the book for review and a higher resolution file or a print version would be absolutely stunning. While the book is available on Kindle it would be lost in monochrome on a standard e-Ink reader. You need to read it on a Kindle Fire, tablet, smartphone or PC to really appreciate the fine and detailed photography.