Bird Builds a Nest

Science Storybooks

by Martin Jenkins

A gentle, sweetly illustrated concept book takes on physical forces as young children learn about pushing and pulling.It's time for Bird to build her nest! Follow her as she pulls a worm out of the ground, lifts some twigs that are just the right size, and pushes the twigs into place. Uh-oh! One of the twigs falls to the ground! But after a day of hard work, Bird's nest is ready and waiting. Can you guess what it's waiting for? Using simple, clear language and beautiful illustrations, this engaging story is the perfect introduction to physical forces for very young readers. A final spread with some simple questions promotes discussion with parents, teachers, or caregivers and encourages readers to think about the concepts introduced.

Genres: Picture Books, Birds, Science, Nonfiction, Nature, Animals, Childrens

32 pages, Library Binding

First published January 19, 2021

About the author

Martin Jenkins, a conservation biologist, has written several nonfiction books for children, including Ape, Grandma Elephant’s in Charge, The Emperor’s Egg, and Chameleons Are Cool. He lives in Cambridge, England.

Reviews

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple picture book that follows a bird as it makes a nest. Alongside the story we have simple text about about the science subject of forces, push, pull, gravity, weight, strength and lifting. A nice introduction of the idea of force for pre-schoolers.

[Figgy]

RTC

This is a book that would likely appeal to a range of ages, due to the simple storyline, and the smaller writing in a different font that talks about the forces present on the page, and what those forces are "when you push something, you are applying a force away from you".

The back of the book includes an experiment with forces and an index.

[Cara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book provides a very unique take on illustrating science concepts through a story. From its title, one might assume that the book is focusing on the life sciences or information on birds. Actually, the text uses the bird as a vehicle to explore forces and motion. The opening author’s note explains the concepts of forces to the adult reader. The book concludes with questions for the child to consider and an index of topics, which is almost unheard of in the picture book format. The text is very appropriate for the age group and truly is a story without being didactic; its plain language easily explains the featured concepts and reads aloud well. The mixed media illustrations follow the sweet cartoon bird from beginning to end, from the very start of her nest to the chicks who hatch from it, carried even though the author’s notes and endpapers, making the book a complete whole and cleverly showing the passage of time. The illustrations’ muted tones evoke the nature setting. Science teachers in the early elementary grades will be eager to use this book in their classrooms, but it will work just as well for one-on-one sharing for enjoyment.

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This picture book cunningly incorporates ideas about the science of forces into an appealing story about a bird building her nest. As a new day begins, Bird first finds something to eat and tries to pull a big worm out of the ground. Eventually, she settles for a smaller and less strong worm for her meal. As Bird begins to work on her nest, she gathers twigs. Some are too heavy, others she can carry one or two of and still smaller ones she can carry three or four twigs. She pushes and pulls the twigs into place. Then she gathers lighter and softer things to line her nest for the eggs that are about to arrive.

The concepts of pushing and pulling, dropping and lifting, heavy and light are very nicely portrayed in this picture book. The story reads aloud well and is a great introduction to the concepts as well as a good book to share. The illustrations are bold and bright, so they will work well when shared with a group. A nice one to share in the spring, this picture book intelligently uses science to tell a story. Appropriate for ages 2-4.

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

The science concepts presented are simple enough for very young children to understand and enjoy. The mixed media illustrations are adorable.

[Kirsty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting approach of mixing science with a story

[Summer · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the opening endpapers of Bird Builds a Nest, we see mama and dada bird together on a tree branch. Closing endpapers show mama and dada bird hopping through those tree branches with five baby birds. “It’s a beautiful day! Bird is up early—she’s got a lot to do.” What’s mama bird going to be busy doing? You got it! She’s building her nest. It’s going to take time and strength, so a tasty worm breakfast is a necessity. “Worm pulls hard and the worm pulls back.” The story is told in a gentle and encouraging tone. This sweetness is enhanced by Jones’ beautiful illustrations. Bird’s tree sparkles with various natural hues, making each page come alive. In a smaller font and merged within the illustrations, the complexities of force and gravity are made simple for young readers, for example, “The stronger something is, the more force it can apply—Things fall to the ground because of a force called gravity. You can’t see gravity, but it’s everywhere.”

Bird Builds a Nest is a charming introduction to forces, a nonfiction that reads like a story and inspires further study. In the back matter, you’ll find an easy experiment for kids to do that will supplement what they’ve learned during story time.

[Ashlyn Littlefield · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would teach this informational nonfiction book to a Kindergarten class because it is fairly easy reading and teaches a great lesson about physical forces. This book is very informational to young readers and would be a great starter book to get students to understand the concepts of push and pull. If I were to use this book to teach a lesson to a Kindergarten class, I would read it to my students as a read-aloud for the first time, then I would read it again but introduce the words "push" and "pull" and go over what they are and the differences between them. The second time I would read it, I would have my students state whether the bird is pushing on something, or pulling something. While they do this, I would have them do a hand motion to represent push, and a hand motion to represent pull. This way, students can learn the concepts in different ways. I could also have different objects that we could take turns pushing and pulling. This book does not have any issues with diversity or equity in it.

[Stephanie Bange · Rating 5 out of 5]

For School Library Connection, REVIEWED February 1, 2018
Rating: Highly Recommended
Recommended Grade Levels: PreK-2

Bird wakes up one day, finds her breakfast, builds her nest, and lays her eggs in this quiet informational picture book for young children. She pushes and pulls, lifts and carries light things, and drops heavy things that fall to the ground because of gravity. Jenkins uses just the right words to tell this gentle story, working in introductory information about forces along the way. Mixed media artwork by Jones uses a retro palette with great lines to help move the story forward. The large format of the book makes this a first choice for reading aloud to a group of youngsters. A note for teachers/adults in front and extension questions and activities in the back make this a useful tool for young readers to learn about forces of nature. It's hard to point to solid informational books for really young readers and this one hits the mark head on.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jenkins, Martin Bird Builds a Nest (A First Science Storybook), illustrated by Richard Jones. PICTURE BOOK. Candlewick, 2018. $17. 9780763693466

Bird is busy building a nest to get ready for her new eggs.

The summary is simple, but Jenkins has brilliantly added science concepts to the text in creative ways to introduce gravity and force to very small readers. I am curious how many parents would take the time to actually discuss this aspect with their child – teachers will pick up on this and use it much more avidly, I think. The color palette for Jones’s illustrations has a retro feel – a little funky, a little dull. They have more of an autumn feel, rather than the spring feeling I would expect.

Pre-K, EL (K-3) – ADVISABLE. Cindy, Library Teacher
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2018...

[Ali Book&Seaglasshunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the unique presentation of science ideas in this book. It can be read as a simple story of a bird building a nest, with or without incorporating a discussion behind the forces of physics that are presented as natural parts of the storyline. We didn’t get too much into the physics aspect on our first read, but would plan to on subsequent reads. I like that the parent/teacher can choose just how much of the physics aspect to get into at a time. I do wish that a little more detail was given in the front for the parent who would be attempting to teach the ideas, some was presented but very minimal.
I really enjoy the illustrations and their use of color. There’s just something about this style that appeals to me greatly.

[Ale Godoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary:
The early bird gets the worm and boy does this bird need that worm! This little bird is pulling, pushing and lifting everything from twigs to worms and feathers. But why is this bird working so hard to make the perfect nest?

Review:
This lovely illustrated non-fiction picture books focuses on physical forces that a bird uses to make its nest. It also captures one not so simple aspect of a birds life. This books provides insight to young readers on how nests are made .

Paired Books:
Mama Built a Little Nest by Jennifer Ward
A Nest is Noisy by Dianna Hutts Aston

Quote:
"She works for hours, flying back and forth, fetching and carrying, pushing and pulling."

[Sandy Brehl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This seemingly simple book about the steps and stages of wrens building nests provides engaging information about that aspect of nature. It begins, though, with a direct message to the adult reader to actively engage the child with discussions of forces- push, pull, force, gravity, heavy, light, etc. As the back voter says- physics for budding scientists!
Included is a glossary and index, making this an early teaching resource for nonfiction text features.
Illustrations use naturalistic tones and collage materials to provide both direct and subtle information about the science in surrounding trees.

[Arminzerella · Rating 4 out of 5]

This picture book follows a bird as she goes through the process of building a nest - how she chooses and carries and uses the materials that she finds, and what eventually the nest is for (spoiler: eggs!). This is the perfect entry for talking about backyard birds and piquing the interest of new birdwatchers. Maybe they'll notice birds foraging around their homes and nest-building activities. The illustrations are simple and colorful and show a sensitivity toward and love for the subject matter.

[Jeni Chen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book! As an artist with a science background, I love it so much that I had to use it in my art classes for kids and write a blog post about it: https://jenichen.com/can-a-teacher-ge...

What I wrote about the book in my blog post:
It is an awesome book for younger kids. It is simple and to the point. Yet it is packed with information and a super fun read. I was able to ask the kids questions throughout the book and they were all eager to answer them. What’s more, it is beautifully illustrated!

[Amy Goldstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a fan of concept books like this. The simple text and soft lovely illustrations draw readers in to the process of a bird building a nest. Nothing complicated or over explained. The illustrations and explanation of the process work together seamlessly. The book ends with some excellent questions pointed at learning about forces. Perfect book for parent and child, teacher and student and springboard for science lessons or STEM activities.

[Mia · Rating 5 out of 5]

k-1st grade
informational nonfiction
What a cute book! I absolutely love the illustrations in this book. I also really love the perspective that this book is written in. The story does a great job describing the life of a bird. The format of the book makes it easy and fun to read. This book is engaging and it also provides ways to get the audience involved (which I love). This would be a great book for a read-aloud or an individual read. I would love to have this book in my future classroom.

[Sydney Brager · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is a step-by-step approach to how a bird builds a nest. It shows the materials the bird uses to build her nest, the way she puts it together, and the reason for making a nest. This story can be used as a sweet introduction to a bird's life.It also is an introduction to push and pull forces and how they interact making it a science lesson. I have seen this book used with an scrapbook art project that aligns with the book and I could see myself doing the same in a 1st or 2nd grade classroom. The language in the book is simple enough for students to understand yet portrays a complex idea of the multiple components when building a nest! I enjoyed the scrapbook/collage illustration style.

[Daphne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this picture book about science. The illustrations are so natural-looking that I kept wanting to reach into the scene and touch the nest. And I like the way the author included notes and questions before and after the story to inspire kids to think about the example of science in the story. Just a very well done book!

[Raven Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can grow with this book due to the fact it is a poem/story first then a science book. Facts about birds are mixed in with the text and as your child grows you can use other parts of the book to grow with them. Bird lovers will enjoy. Great for a tie-in to a fiction science story for the classroom. Fun and lovely illustrations

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely story about a bird building a nest becomes a study of forces. Questions in the front and back are great for parents and teachers to use to explore these scientific concepts. The illustrations are bold and full of color.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming story incorporating forces - pushing and pulling - as well as how a bird builds a nest. Lovely collage illustrations! Back matter includes science activities and a simply index that would be excellent to use when introducing or teaching the use of indexes

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely illustrations and a calming storyline introduces some basic science concepts of gravity and motion. It struck me that this book would be nice to share with an adult with dementia, etc., because it is such a gentle story without conflict.

[Cass · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm. I think this book is at different levels in different ways for me. The narrative is weak in my opinion. The knowledge is full but not too much. And the best part is the interactive element at the end. A good bedtime read. Good for a story time with an educational activity afterwards.

[Alex Lindsley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay. It had nice illustrations that were in a sort of cut-out style that I enjoyed. It kept it very simple and would probably be a good book for kids that are interested in birds or how birds build nests.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this! It has wonderful, bold illustrations and engaging, informative text. A great introduction to the bird life cycle, basic math and the science of force for very young readers. I am excited to see how this will go over in Storytime as well.

[Cindy Dobrez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This bird book includes lessons about forces: gravity, pushing, pulling, and weight. Read our Bookends Blog post here that includes a additional pair of bird books to nest-le in with.

[Ellon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent story about how a bird makes a nest. The author suggests discussing forces and gravity but I think those concepts are kind of a stretch. If the author wanted the book to be about forces, I think he should have been more explicit.

[Earl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple text and gorgeous illustrations offer up a storytime read for young readers while introducing them to simple science concepts. Includes questions to encourage thinking about force and gravity.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simply told, appealingly illustrated story introducing young children to the concepts of pushing and pulling.