This beautifully illustrated non-fiction book begins with an Arctic tern and her newly laid small, speckled egg in its grassy nest. It goes on to illustrate how the baby bird develops inside the egg, then its life from a small, fluffy chick through its life cycle up until full adulthood where the now-adult tern lays its own egg, ready for the process to begin again. It covers the trials and tribulations of a wild bird’s life, from the dangers posed by predators to the long, exhausting migration journey.

The book is full of fascinating facts about the lives of Arctic terns, including their diet, how they catch food and how they fly. It concludes with a large fold-out page illustrating the life cycle of the Arctic tern as well as a map showing its migration routes. As an added point of interest it also includes a list of animals to look for when reading the book.

This book would work equally well as a book for storytime or as a reference book. With stunning illustrations and easily accessible text, this would be a fantastic addition to any primary classroom, but especially Key Stage 1 and Lower Key Stage 2 when looking at life cycles, birds and/or arctic animals.