This is the third in the On Bird Hill and Beyond series, a collaboration between Jane Yolen as author and Bob Marstall as illustrator. This trilogy of books were written for the  renowned Cornell Lab of Ornithology. In a rhyming format, a young boy is in pursuit of a starfish on a beach in Cape Cod,  but gulls are determined to thwart him as they have fun tossing the starfish back and forth. In the end, the boy rescues the starfish and returns it to the water and safety. The illustrations are simple, muted, and very appealing. The unusual appendix titled Life on a New England Beach will, perhaps, be the most wondrous portion of this offering. Information is shared about different birds along with pictures of each. Young readers are also instructed about how they can keep our beaches and wildlife safe and thriving. On top of all of this, 35% of the net profits from the books in this series go to  Cornell Lab to support projects such as children’s educational and community programs. This book will be appealing to both young readers and to their teachers and parents who will find themselves learning something about birds that, perhaps, they never knew.

Carla McAllister, New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester