What’s a hoatzin? It’s a wonderfully weird bird resembling a “pudgy punk-rock chicken” that resides in the rapidly disappearing Amazon rainforest, and it deservedly gets the spotlight treatment in this installment in the Odd Birds series (4 titles). After running through basic hoatzin statistics, the book delves into greater detail about the singular (and smelly) bird—and it truly may be singular, as scientists have trouble sorting it into any one family of bird species. The text is as funny as it is informative, and it even includes a humorous “strange-off” battle between hoatzins and turacos. The book is a blast, combining snazzy graphics with impressive images, and a cartoon bird guide pops in to dispense particularly interesting tidbits. It will easily make an avian enthusiast out of any intrigued reader.

A creative and highly appealing combination of facts and visuals.