A Pocket Guide to Pigeon Watching is an interesting and accessible guide to pigeons by Rosemary Mosco. Due out 9th Nov 2021 from Workman Publishing, it's 240 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. Text search makes life somewhat easier.
Although this volume is ostensibly aimed at middle grade readers (10 year old me would've loved it), I learned quite a lot myself and I'm about 4 decades past being a middle grade reader. The language is simple enough for anyone to understand, but at the same time manages to be scientifically correct and use proper nomenclature.
The layout is logical and progresses from: why watch pigeons, pigeon evolution (dinosaurs!), interaction with and development alongside humans, anatomy, plumage (genetics!), behavior, health concerns (very low), and some tantalizing bits about general birdwatching.
The entire book is light and humorous and information dense. I grinned often whilst reading and found the style and the subject matter very engaging and fun. This would be a superlative public or classroom library acquisition, or gift to a nature/science interested youngster. It would also make a fine choice for smallholders (pigeons are easy and useful to raise), allotment/community gardens, and similar. There are no photographs, but the entire book is full of simple and well rendered line drawings (see cover).
Five stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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