Children's Books discussion

In June, we will celebrate our fine feathered friends. Both fiction and non-fiction titles are welcome so long as they fit the picture book format. My own selections will probably tend to non-fiction on backyard birds as well as books featuring bird-watching (as a hobby as well as a citizen/community scientist endeavor) but I'm also getting some on more "exotic" birds and will probably try to find some fun fiction, too. I'm getting a list together based on what the library has available and will post back soon.
Happy reading!

***Important note for aspiring birdwatchers without gear***
If you don't have binoculars or local field guides, be sure to check your local library! I'm absolutely astonished and delighted by the resources available through our local library (and we are by no means an unusually wealthy town). In the kids section, I found a backpack full of gear for budding naturalists, including binoculars and local bird guides. These can be checked out just like books!
In searching online, I found that the library in the next town over has binoculars available to check out from the adult section. It's tagged under the "Hobby Equipment Collection" but I just searched the catalog for "Binoculars"

One of my first favorite books about birds, and still one of my favorites, is Make Way for Ducklings so I just have to give that a mention, even though it's a classic and probably everyone here has read it ;-)

We are starting into our new stack of library books and I'm eager to get reviews written but we are having record high temperatures right now and this room with my desktop gets very hot so I'm limiting my computer time this week. I hope to post more after the weekend.

Here are a few books we've read over the past year that fit the theme:

Mama Built a Little Nest This was cute and a good choice for little ones -- informational but not overwhelming and told in rhyme.

How to Find a Bird
The illustrations here are entertaining and engaging, while also being fairly accurate in terms of depicting the birds. I enjoyed that various ways of bird-watching are shown, from treks in the wilds to backyard birdhouses and bird feeders. Back matter includes tools and tips for becoming birdwatchers as well as information on ways to become a Citizen Scientist. Highly recommended for budding birdwatchers and other nature enthusiasts.

Feathers: Not Just for Flying
We found this delightful. It was engaging enough for my four-year-old and seven-year-old while providing some "ah-ha!" moments for me, too. Wonderful introduction to the many ways feathers help our feathered friends -- "not just for flying" ;-)

Counting Birds: The Idea That Helped Save Our Feathered Friends
What a wonderful true story about Frank Chapman, a man who loved and protected birds. I love that it shows how one person can make a difference in the world. Chapman abhorred the Christmas Day tradition of bird hunting. Yet he knew that he couldn't simply ask people to stop a long-cherished tradition without giving them something to replace it with. So, through his Bird Lore magazine, he proposed "a new kind of Christmas side hunt, in the form a Christmas bird-census." The first Christmas after his proposal (in 1900), 27 bird watchers from 25 locations from Connecticut to California counted close to 18,500 birds. Today, in what is known as the Audubon Christmas Bird Count, people from all over the world participate in this (and other) bird count(s) -- in 2016, 73,153 birders counted 56,139,812.

The back matter presents a little more information on Chapman, including his photograph and a picture of the cover of one of his Bird Lore magazines (Bird Lore eventually because Audubon Magazine). Mostly, the back matter covers further details on how the bird counts work and way you can become involved. The Note from the Author also talks her own experiences with bird counts, starting when her father who took her and her siblings into the woods by their Massachussets home to call down owls at night. Fun fact: Stemple's mother is Jane Yolen, and Owl Moon was inspired by these adventures.

Highly recommended to young nature lovers or anyone looking for stories about everyday heroes who change the world for the better. My one caveat is that I do wish the illustrations were slightly more realistic -- they do provide a good sense of what the birds look like but I guess I was hoping for something that was almost more photo realistic to help readers really be able to identify the birds in real life. That said, my four-year-old was inspired to draw birds and trees after this, so it I guess the art touched him, anyway! ;-)

I also must mention the excellent A Nest Is Noisy and An Egg Is Quiet

Just a few weeks ago, we read:
Hummingbird
This is lovely. Note that the focus is on the migration of the ruby-throated hummingbird (not a variety of hummingbirds) On the one hand, I kind of like the idea of showing the humans observing the hummingbird as it travels from south to north, but it also felt kind of random and disjointed because sometimes we focused on the humans observing the hummingbirds, then we'd turn the page and find some factual information about hummingbirds. Also, I have enjoyed many of Jane Ray's books, but I'm not a big fan of her humans, actually but I LOVED her illustrations of the hummingbirds. There's a bit of back matter "More About Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds" and a (skimpy) Bibliography. Overall, I would recommend this only as an addition to a study of hummingbirds (or just for general reading pleasure).
(Note that Manybook's review mentions that some experts advise against feeding hummingbirds. I've not heard this before, but it's worth checking out. I have heard that it is very important to properly clean and maintain the feeders so the birds do not become sick. It would have been good if Davies included this information in her book.

And, in searching my shelves, I found this review from over a decade ago:
Hummingbird Nest: A Journal of Poems
A great way to introduce young ones to the world of the hummingbird, each poem follows the progress of a mother hummingbird from the day she chooses this family's ficus plant on the porch as the site for her nest, to the day her second baby leaves the next. While I didn't find anything remarkable about the poetry, I liked this creative way of chronicling an important aspect in this avian beauty's life. The soft paintings are lovely, too. Included in the back is more information on the family (mom and two young children--this is a true story) observation of the hummingbirds, and some hummingbird facts (even though I already knew most of them, I was still surprised to learn that the nest (made of grasses and spider's webs) stretches as the baby birds grow to better accommodate them!)

I know I have more to add... will be back when it's cooler!

My son and I are big fans of the Little Quack books. Duck & Goose are pretty good as well.

Bird Show by Susan Stockdale


I loved this book and gave it 5 stars. My very brief review:
Showcases 18 diverse and interesting birds, with gorgeous illustrations. Includes brief info about the birds and a quiz in the back.

Ducks on the Road: A Counting Adventure by Anita Lobel


I also loved this book and gave it 5 stars. My review:
This is the perfect type of book that I would have used in a story time when I was working as a Children's Services Librarian, for a counting theme, or a duck theme. The illustrations are clear, straightforward, and are perfectly paired with the text; and they make counting the ducks with little ones easy. There is so much to see in these illustrations--not only the several animals that the ducklings meet on their walk, but also the many different plants and trees that they pass on their walk. There are plenty of details in the illustrations for little ones to pore over. A practically perfect book for preschool children.

On Eagle Cove by Jane Yolen


Another 5 star favorite:
Not only a lovely picture book with beautiful illustrations and a lyrical rhyming text, it also includes information on bald eagles after the story. Published by the Cornell Lab.

Fly! by Mark Teague

Nope by Drew Sheneman


5 stars for both:
In both books, a baby bird doesn't want to learn to fly, but each story has a different approach to how the baby bird finally starts flying on its own. It would be interesting to show both books to a young child and to discuss with them the similarities and differences between the two books.
This book (Fly) also has appealing illustrations, and the thought balloons are filled with images rather than words.
Nope: The birds in this hilarious wordless picture book have the most expressive faces!

Hello, I'm Here! by Helen Frost


5 stars:
The poem and gorgeous photos feature the hatching and life of a sandhill crane chick. The four line poems pair nicely with the photos. Most of the endearing photos are double-page spreads. I especially liked the photo of the chick resting his head and chest on his mother's wing. It is also amusing to see the tiny chick next to its mother's very long legs.

Hummingbird by Nicola Davies


Kathryn also mentioned that she read this book. I gave it 5 stars and wrote this review:
A fictional story infused with info about ruby-throated hummingbirds. Gorgeous paintings rendered in watercolor, watercolor pencil and gold ink.

Wings by Cheryl B. Klein


Another 5 star book:
Tomie DePaola illustrates this book with great panache, and Avery full-sheet labels, markers, and acrylics. There are a total of twelve words in this book, and all of them rhyme with "wings." And each word appears by itself on a page. Tomie brings those words to life with the antics of the baby bird who is learning to fly. Clever, interesting, and not Tomie's usual art style.

Nesting by Henry Cole


5 stars:
Cole gives facts about robins using a fictional robin couple raising four baby robins. The beautiful, realistic illustrations are rendered in black and white with Micron pens; the only color in the book is the blue of the robin eggs and a little blue in the sky. Lovely.

Audrey wrote: "My son and I are big fans of the Little Quack books. Duck & Goose are pretty good as well."

I've never heard of Little Quack but it sounds cute. We enjoyed some of the Duck & Goose books when my kids were littler. Thank you for posting! :-) My kids loved Quick, Quack, Quick! around that time so that might be one your son would enjoy. Lisa McCue's artwork is darling.

Beverly wrote: "Hummingbird by Nicola Davies


Kathryn also mentioned that she read this book. I gave it 5 stars and wrote this review:
A fictional st..."

I'm glad you enjoyed it, too. Thanks for the other posts. Most of them are new-to-me so I will check them out.

Bird Watch We checked this out last year and really enjoyed it. My son chose it from the library on our visit earlier this week so it definitely has staying power ;-)

My review from last year:
Beautiful! The illustrations are lovely and the text is engaging. It is both a counting book (backwards from ten) and a seek-and-find book. Be advised that you really have to search hard to find some of these birds -- my four-year-old thoroughly enjoyed the challenge and was successful, but very young readers may struggle (and it would be impossible for a group story time). I appreciate the back matter with further information on birding and the types of birds depicted in the story. And I appreciate that, unlike some books for children, the birds are drawn with accuracy so that they would be easy to identify in the wild.

Birds Build Nests

Lovely! The illustrations are beautiful and full of rich detail of each bird and its nest, eggs and (in some cases) surrounding habitat. I loved them! The accompanying text is pleasant, good for the younger picture book crowd as it's informative and engaging (told in rhyme) without being too bogged down with details.

For example:
"Birds build nests
From mud, rich and brown,
Delicately lined with
Velvet and down.
That's how birds build their nests."

The back matter gives a bit more detail on each of the birds. For example, the above poem is for the Fairy Martin, from Australia, "This bird is an accomplished builder, adept at repairing damanged nests and making new ones using many pellets of mud. They nest in large groups. As many as seven hundred nests have been found in one colony. Apart form using rock overhands and caves, they also use man-made structures such as bridges, culverts and drains to shelter their nests."

I appreciate the variety of birds and nests (from all around the world) shown. I was also pleased to see the list of References as well as Internet Resources for further study.

It was a bit cumbersome flipping back and forth as we read (the names of the birds are, unfortunately, not given beneath the poem or main illustration, only in the back with the "Nest Identification Guide") which is the only reason I'm not giving this a full five stars. Otherwise, I think it's a gem and both my eight-year-old and five-year-old really enjoyed it, too.

Whose Nest Is This? This is an enjoyable read. The pictures are cute while also being accurate representations of the creatures. It's fun to see all the different types of animals that build nests and the types of nests built. Not only does it cover birds (and the different sorts of nests, from the woven nests to mud nests to nesting-on-rocks) it includes mice, paper wasps, alligators and (my surprise favorite) the three-spined stickleback fish! There's a "fun-fact glossary" at the back but, alas, no Bibliography or resources. I also think it would have been more fun if the description of the nest and illustration of the nest were on one page with the question, "Whose nest is this?" then you'd need to turn the page to see the parents and the answer of what creature built it. As it is, the question is on the very same page as the picture of the parent (flamingo, alligator, what-have-you) so there really isn't any guessing involved which seems kind of disappointing. It's still worth checking out, though.

How to Find a Bird by Jennifer Ward (4 stars)

This is basic, brief information for young children who want to be bird watchers. The text is brief, the painted birds are identified by their common names. The back matter gives some additional information, plus a few ways to get involved as a "Citizen Scientist." The author refers readers to her website for a bibliography.


I gave this one 5 stars, but did not write a review:
All the Birds in the World by David Opie

Birds of a Feather: Bowerbirds and Me by Susan L. Roth

This book examines those unique birds that build a bower to attract a mate. Features Roth's exquisite and unique collages.

In February 2020, *BirdWatching* magazine published a wonderful article about getting kids interested, called "Birdwatching with your nestlings." The author, Andrea Miller, has a book: My First Book of Canadian Birds. Other books mentioned in a sidebar are:

Numenia and the Hurricane: Inspired by a True Migration Story
Bird Count
Silent Swoop: An Owl, an Egg, and a Warm Shirt Pocket
Why Should I Walk? I Can Fly!
Finding a Dove for Gramps
Star Guy’s Great Adventure: The True Story of a Salisbury Snowy Owl
Taking Flight (which looks like it might also fit the mindfulness theme!)
Owling: Enter the World of the Mysterious Birds of the Night

The magazine is on Overdrive; check with your library.
Also you might want to visit birdwatchingdaily.com.

This discussion list is not complete without mention of the classic Owl Moon, also by Jane Yolen. I might remember other older books; if so I'll edit this post.

I do have a stack of non-fiction I collected when visiting the library (Oh it's wonderful to be able to type that!) that I'll be reading within the next week or so. I will also ask for a Book Bundle of fiction later.

Cheryl wrote: "In February 2020, *BirdWatching" magazine published a wonderful article about getting kids interested, called "Birdwatching with your nestlings." The author, Andrea Miller, has a bo..."

Thank you SO much! :-)
I'm so happy you are able to browse the library again. Such a wonderful feeling, indeed!

Beverly wrote: "How to Find a Bird by Jennifer Ward (4 stars)

This is basic, brief information for young children who want to be bird watchers..."

Sounds great! I love the "citizen scientist" aspect. Will watch for this.

Three older books, I skimmed:

When Birds Change Their Feathers is a little long-winded for the target audience of about age 7, but still interesting... I learned plenty. Unfortunately it suggests making "an Indian headband" which would make it hard to use with today's children.

There's a series from Grolier called "Nature's Children" for young independent readers, dozens of entries. "Great Blue Herons" is by Bill Ivy, from 1988. I loved the photos, and the emphasis on nesting and nestlings. At the end they showed a photo of a heron swimming! I have no idea why I cannot find this on GR. There is this author's page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... and the ISBN for this book is 0717224864.

Cardinals is for the very youngest. I chose it because cardinals in our neighborhood probably outnumber the other passerines all together. I didn't learn anything, though.

Two by Susan Stockdale:

Bring on the Birds and Bird Show, both gorgeous. I like the arrangement: The 'story' of the main text can be enjoyed without distractions, and the birds closely examined while reading through. Meanwhile, readers could choose to test themselves. Then, at the end, they can see which ones they recognized, by using the notes as an 'answer key.' They could even reread the book later and see which ones they now remember better.

Bring on the Birds has a bibliography of resources, Bird Show has a sort of 'hidden object' game.

The author is fairly prolific. Lots of her illustrations are works of art that would make great posters, imo.

I'm not sure how accurate Adelbert the Penguin, by Ross E. Hutchins is, as first, it's from 1969, and second, it adds a narrative w/ some fanciful anthropomorphic details. But it's probably pretty good. What is amazing about though, imo, are the drawings by Jerome P. Connolly; I was not surprised he'd done illustrations for museums.

The focus is on the migration of the Adelies, from near Erebus to a thousand miles south of New Zealand. Without a map, I was confused... and I remain confused because google gives me mostly stuff about how climate change 'forced' penguins to migrate. Hmm.

Anyway, I will def. look for more by the artist, and maybe the author too. I'll try OpenLibrary.org first, as they're likely to be old.

My review of An Egg Is Quiet:

Stunning illustrations, both gorgeous and directly & indirectly educational. Good science text (though a 'for further reading' appendix would be nice. and to say that an egg "does not want" to be eaten is wrong). The narrative text, that is to say, the cursive part from which the title comes, is, imo, less satisfactory. Overall, recommended to all educators and curious children. And adults who realize that there's always more to learn.

Cheryl wrote: "I'm not sure how accurate Adelbert the Penguin, by Ross E. Hutchins is, as first, it's from 1969, and second, it adds a narrative w/ some fanciful anthropomorphic details. But it's p..."

Not birds, but another by this author is The Carpenter Bee by Ross E. Hutchins - one of my favorite nature books for middle grade readers.

Cheryl wrote: "Two by Susan Stockdale:

Bring on the Birds and Bird Show, both gorgeous. I like the arrangement: The 'story' of the main text can be enjoyed without..."

Excited about these books you're posting, thank you!

Karen wrote: "Not birds, but another by this author is The Carpenter Bee by Ross E. Hutchins - one of my favorite nature books for middle grade readers.."

Thanks, Karen! :-) I'm actually planning a theme on insects for July so I'll definitely try to find this one in addition to the one on penguin that Cheryl mentioned.

***Important note for aspiring birdwatchers without gear***
If you don't have binoculars or field guides, be sure to check your local library! I'm absolutely astonished and delighted by the resources available through our local library (and we are by no means an unusually wealthy town). In the kids section, I found a backpack full of gear for budding naturalists, including binoculars and local bird guides. These can be checked out just like books!
In searching online, I found that the library in the next town over has binoculars available to check out from the adult section. It's tagged under the "Hobby Equipment Collection" but I just searched the catalog for "Binoculars"
Anyway, just FYI :-)

Thank you Karen!

Wow, Kathryn, yes, it's amazing what different libraries have. Bentonville Arkansas has board & family games. Many have jigsaw puzzles or video games. Ours has fishing equipment; it's cataloged as "Library of Things" in the Collections filter. Ask!

The Man Who Could Call Down Owls is fantastic!
Also, Quick, Quack, Quick looks adorable. I’ll have to check it out. Thank you for your recommendation.
Little Hoot by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Don't forget Goodreads' Listopia feature. For example, here is one list: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/8...

Remember, we can add to the lists, and vote on our favorites, too.

Cool Birds & Bugs is part of a series of small books that encourage kids to spend more time out of doors, and more time making things, too. Many of the crafts here require adult supervision and seem, to me, not terrifically interesting, but if your library has this, or any of the others, check them out for yourself.

I am intrigued by the idea of putting yarn in a suet feeder to provide nesting material... I wonder if the birds would actually be interested.

It's part of the Checkerboard How-To library, which worked as a search term at one of my libraries and got me lots of intriguing titles.

Cheryl wrote: "Cool Birds & Bugs is part of a series of small books that encourage kids to spend more time out of doors, and more time making things, too. Many of the crafts here require adult sup..."

Well, I have seen chickadees and woodpeckers take apart an old sweater hanging on a clothesline and use the yarn in their nests, so yes, some birds will probably be interested and it might save your woolens if you air dry your clothing.

Oh, neat!, thanks for the information!

Here's the checkout receipt for my Fiction birds/picturebooks Book Bundle, as provided by my library. Not sure if all of these would be ones I'd choose myself, or will fit the theme, but I thank them very much no matter what!

Friends stick together

Arrowhawk

On Eagle Cove

The greedy blackbird

Jack Quack

Just how long can a long string be?!

No two alike

Be brave, little penguin

The scarecrow

Quiet! there's a canary in the library

Planting the wild garden

How to heal a broken wing

The robot and the bluebird

Pierre the penguin

Best book of all from my first batch was one I knew nothing about and wasn't sure I'd like: Olivia's Birds: Saving the Gulf by Olivia Bouler herself, the child who donated her artwork to save the birds after that oil spill. My review:

Wow. A must read for every child and family, and a must buy for every library that serves children. Very effectively told, both to get kids who don't know birds interested in them, and to get kids who are interested to be motivated to take practical actions.

my 4* review of On Eagle Cove

I like that the illustrations will make brown-skinned people, for example Mexican-Americans, see themselves in the wilderness in all seasons. Part of a 'set' that includes On Bird Hill, On Duck Pond, and on Gull Beach. Rhyming text is a bonus for those who like that sort of thing. I'm rounding up because some of the photos I saw in the back are completely unfamiliar (therefore interesting and enlightening) to me.

Manybooks wrote: "I have seen chickadees and woodpeckers take apart an old sweater hanging on a clothesline and use the yarn in their nests.."

Oh, wow!

Audrey wrote: "The Man Who Could Call Down Owls is fantastic!
Also, Quick, Quack, Quick looks adorable. I’ll have to check it out. Thank you for your recommendation.
Little Hoot by Amy Krouse Rosenthal"

You're very welcome. I hope your little one loves it :-)

Cheryl wrote: "Here's the checkout receipt for my Fiction birds/picturebooks Book Bundle, as provided by my library. Not sure if all of these would be ones I'd choose myself, or will fit the theme, but I thank th..."

Thank you. Sounds like you got a few winners.

As for, Quiet! There's a Canary in the Library I really wouldn't classify as a "bird" book as the canary isn't the main focus -- but it's a cute story ;-)

The Scarecrow... is that the one by Cynthia Rylant? If so, it's lovely but, again, I wouldn't really consider it a "bird" book.

I'll try to get Olivia's Birds: Saving the Gulf

Ok I won't review Canary in the Library here. :)
The other is not Rylant, but The Scarecrow by Beth Ferry. Blurb implies bird will play a sufficient role. ;)

Cheryl wrote: "Ok I won't review Canary in the Library here. :)
The other is not Rylant, but The Scarecrow by Beth Ferry. Blurb implies bird will play a sufficient role. ;)"

Great! I look forward to your review :-)

Two Blue Jays My five-year-old picked this out from the library himself. Very appealing cover (the illustrations of the birds inside are very nice, too and don't miss the spreads inside the covers that show the eggs of various birds at the front and the birds themselves at the back). The story follows two blue jays that nest on a branch outside a classroom window. The children watching throughout the season learn about the birds, such as diet, nesting practices, eggs (and chick development stages inside), chicks hatching, feeding/parenting, up through empty nest. There's an author's note at the back but, unfortunately, no bibliography or suggestions for further reading.

Mourning Doves One of several in the "Backyard Birds" series, I picked this up because we have lots of mourning doves in our yard and they're a bird you don't see featured as much as, say, hummingbirds or robins. It's a very basic, informational text about the birds suitable for early grades. Here's an example of the text: "A female dove lays tow eggs. Both parents it on the eggs to keep them warm. After two weeks chicks hatch. The chicks are called squabs." Very dry and you could easily find this online but books like this are a good way to get kids involved in using real books for research. Contains a Table of Contents, Glossary, Mourning Dove Range Map, "Read More" and "Internet Sites" suggestions, Index and "Critical Thinking Using Common Core" (three very basic questions).

Kathryn wrote: "Mourning Doves One of several in the "Backyard Birds" series, I picked this up because we have lots of mourning doves in our yard and they're a bird you don't see featured as much a..."

Those short, straightforward sentences make me think the author is writing directly to children who are still learning to read on their own (Maybe first and second graders). The text may be dry and unexciting, but helpful to children who are still struggling with reading.

Beverly wrote: "Those short, straightforward sentences make me think the author is writing directly to children who are still learning to read on their own (Maybe first and second graders)."

Oh yes, it's definitely geared toward lower grades. I don't have a problem with that, it has it's place for sure -- just personally find it very boring and I've read so many other picture books that convey information in a much more engaging way. I don't imagine any of you adult readers would be interested in this series. But, as I said, it's good for kids to get experience with information-only books like this and become familiar with using things like table of contents and indexes and such for when they do deeper research in later grades.

An example of a book I found both educational and entertaining is Robins!: How They Grow Up. It follows two young robins ("our black and white speckles mean we're young -- a few months old") as they tell the story of how they came to be living in "your" yard. The illustrations proper depict what is happening in the the story the robins tell while little side illustrations show the robins "talking" with cartoon bubbles. The added bubble asides are little odd since the robins are telling the whole story, anyway, but it's entertaining. They begin the story with their dad's arrival after winter and end with their own migration south for the next winter. Along the way, we learn a lot about robins (particularly parenting) and the development of the baby chicks week by week. As an adult, I even learned a few things (I hadn't realized how involved robin dads are with the parenting -- they actually do most of the teaching for the first brood while the mother sits on the eggs of the second brood!). I found it annoying how the story is told in present tense in the main text and in past tense in the bubbles but it didn't detract too much. For sensitive readers, note that this doesn't shy away from the difficulties facing babies in the wild: a squirrel eats one of the eggs, and a hawk eats another baby. It's really rather intense given the story is told from the perspective of the siblings so it says, "Our brother is gone. Mom and dad chase the hawk, scolding and screaming, but he flies away, our brother dangling from his talons--a meal for hungry hawk babies." Yikes! I skipped that page when reading this to my five-year-old, but he enjoyed the rest of the book. Most of the book is told with humor and, quibbles aside, I do recommend it as an entertaining way to learn about one of America's most popular songbirds. There's also a good "More About Robins" fact section in the back, a Glossary, and Sources.

I would love to read about robins - will check that book out immediately! Thanks for sharing!