Author and Illustrator: Megan C. Brown
Publisher: Megan C. Brown
ISBN: 9781492754114

“The kiwi bird is from the island county of New Zealand located in the Southwest Pacific Ocean. There are currently five known species of kiwi. The kiwi belongs to a category of flightless birds called Rattie. This diverse group includes some of the world’s largest birds; the kiwi is the smallest,” Megan C. Brown writes in her children’s book, Kiwi Simile.

This letter-sized paperback book contains twenty-eight pages and is targeted toward young preschool to early elementary school aged children, especially those who like animals and insects. With no profanity, scary scenes, or violence, the expressive illustrations are large and sometimes with very dark backgrounds, accented with white or black print on almost every page.

Not to be a tome but an educational tool, the book is all about these strange, nocturnal, poor-sighted birds that have a great sense of touch, smell, and hearing. With long whiskers and long, loose feathers, their wings are useless and they have no tail.

Interestingly, their nostrils are at the end of their beaks so they can smell insects over five centimeters underground. They also have a special organ that can detect vibrations, alerting them to nearby prey.

By leaving their droppings on the ground to mark their own boundaries, even for other kiwis, they will fight with their strong legs and sharp claws but not their beaks. With such powerful extremities, they can run up to twenty-five miles per hour.

With memories lasting up to five years, these unique creatures mate for life, live in burrows where they sleep during the day and lay their eggs. Once the eggs hatch, the male bird takes care of the newborn while the mother recuperates. Egg rearing is about six times a year and up to one hundred times during their lifespan of fifty years.

Having a plethora of information about the kiwi and its environment, habitat, characteristics, and behaviors, both adult and child will learn something, especially when one takes the time to look at the charming, clever, and sometimes funny artworks depicted with minute details. With improvement from the prior book in the series about ants, Brown is on her way to producing fascinating, fun reading that teaches about our animal kingdom.

This book was furnished by the author in lieu of a review based on my own opinion.

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