Have You Heard the Nesting Bird?

by Rita Gray (Author) Kenard Pak (Illustrator)

Reading Level: K − 1st Grade
In this nonfiction picture book for young readers, we learn just why the mother nesting bird stays quiet and still while sitting on her eggs. Shh. . . .
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$9.99

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ALA/Booklist

Starred Review
The pleasing text is well constructed, with rhythm and rhyme altered in different types of stanzas and distinctive birdsongs included in the verse. . . . A beautifully crafted, informative picture book.

Kirkus

Starred Review
This charming and unusual nature story contributes something new to the overstuffed field of bird-related picture books. . . . As welcome as the robin in springtime.

Publishers Weekly

Layering delicate leaves and branches in green-browns, gold-greens, and touches of scarlet, newcomer Pak gives Gray's (One Big Rain) story about nesting robins a quiet, measured dynamism. The restraint of the artwork dovetails nicely with the story's themes: caretaking, which is what the nesting robin is doing, and observation, which is what a human boy and girl are doing. The two talk about the birds they see, some of which are voicing their characteristic calls ("Sparrow makes a simple jingle./ chiddik, chiddik/ Swallow slides from under a shingle./ ha-ha-chit-chit-chit"). One bird, though, is mysteriously silent. " 'Not a single tweet or trill.'/ 'This nesting bird is so still!' " The secret to the robin's long stay on her nest is revealed as a dialogue between the sounds coming from the nest ("Tapping Cracking") and the children's observations ("The bird is starting to move around!"). It's a fine first book about watching living beings in the wild, and it also serves as a beginning birders' guide, identifying the features and cries of common backyard birds. Ages 4-8. Author's agent: Fiona Kenshole, Transatlantic Literary Agency. (Mar.)■

Copyright 2013 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 3--A boy and girl on a neighborhood walk encounter many birds singing and calling. Short rhyming verses capture the essence of these backyard birds, e.g., "Cardinal wears a pointy hat. 'cheer-cheer-cheer-purdy-purdy-purdy'/Chickadee is an acrobat. 'chick-a-dee-dee-dee.'" The children wonder why the robin nesting in the tree next to their house is silent, until the day when cheeping, peeping follow the tapping, cracking sounds of the eggs hatching. Soft watercolor and collagelike digital art beautifully impart a springtime feeling to the spreads. Following the poem-story is a two-page mock "interview" with the mother bird, which serves as a useful explanation of nesting behaviors. This lovely introduction to common neighborhood birds also includes some less familiar varieties, such as the wood thrush and the whip-poor-will.--Frances E. Millhouser, formerly at Fairfax County Public Library, VA

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"With its many birdcalls that invite imitation, the text is enjoyable in its own right, as are the softly texture, earth-toned setting in which children and birds enjoy each other's company." —Bulletin

Rita Gray
Rita Gray is the author of several acclaimed picture books including Flowers Are Calling and Have You Heard the Nesting Bird?. She lives in New York City. Visit her website at www.ritagrayreads.com.

Kenard Pak is an acclaimed picture book illustrator and has also worked for Dreamworks and Walt Disney Animation. He lives in San Francisco. Visit his website at www.pandagun.com.
Classification
-
ISBN-13
9780544930858
Lexile Measure
430
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Clarion Books
Publication date
March 07, 2017
Series
-
BISAC categories
JNF003030 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Animals | Birds
Library of Congress categories
Birds
Behavior
Nests
Birdsongs
Keystone to Reading Book Award
Nominee 2016 - 2016

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