My Happy Year by E. Bluebird (Nature Diary #2)

Like its companion book, My Awesome Summer, by P. Mantis (2017), this volume is called A Nature Diary. In dated entries, a bluebird records her experiences during her first year. . . . Created with acrylic ink and digitally enhanced, Meisel's handsome artwork shows a strong sense of color and form in depicting the natural world. The larger scenes are particularly striking. In the text, a simply written narrative traces the bluebird's growth from chick to mother bird, while illustrated notes offer additional facts. A clearly presented, informative introduction to a bird's life cycle.

Again relying on his own backyard observations as well as credited experts, Meisel offers a follow-up to his much-admired My Awesome Summer, by P. Mantis (2017). This description of a bluebird's life is straightforward in its content but versatile in its presentation. . . For fledgling readers, another appreciation of the natural world.

An Eastern Bluebird narrates a chipper account of her first year, from blind and helpless hatchling to fearful fledgling to full-grown adult . . . with a brief, friendly journal-style text accompanied by equally uncluttered and appealing digitally enhanced paintings in sumptuous colors. Both text and art provide a close-up look at the bird's growth, behaviors (including seasonal migration), diet, threats, and habitat. The illustrated front and back endpapers are filled with more detailed information about the species, a migration/habitat map, a glossary, information on how to build a bluebird house, and suggested websites.

An eastern bluebird narrates the second installment of Meisel's A Nature Diary series. Born in a nesting box, E. Bluebird's anthropomorphic musings relate the milestones of her first year, from hatching and fledging to migrating and mating. As in My Awesome Summer by P. Mantis, the animal at the center of this life cycle story keeps her dated entries short and sweet. "September 28: I see a flock of Bluebirds. We're going south! I catch up with my family just in time." Close-ups of the narrator as a chick, squawking hungrily and sleeping with her siblings, give way to ground-up or bird's-eye views as flocks head out for the winter. The dynamic illustrations, rendered in digitally enhanced acrylics, imagine the simple tale in rich colors: a field of orange pumpkins precedes a gray sky full of migrating bluebirds, which segues into scenes featuring the tropical greenery (and predators!) of E. Bluebird's winter home. A fact-filled introduction and a concluding glossary and resource list offer plenty of detailed information for ornithologically inclined readers. Ages 4-8. Agent: Jennifer Mattson, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (Mar.)

Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Gr 2-4--It is E. Bluebird's birthday! E. is an Eastern Bluebird, and this story takes readers through a year in her life beginning at day one. When E. and her siblings hatch, they cannot see and must rely on their mother for food. As they grow, their eyesight improves and they begin to grow feathers, and eventually become more comfortable striking out on their own. Will E. be brave enough to leave the nest in time for her family's great migration? Short sentences, large text, and bright, vivid illustrations engage readers, whether bluebirds are familiar to them or not. Though it is nonfiction, the work reads as fiction for an early reader due to the design, word choice, and sentence length. A spread at the beginning provides more detailed information about bluebirds and serves to introduce children to the real animals upon which this story is based. VERDICT An excellent addition to library nonfiction sections that provides an enjoyable option for emerging readers who prefer reading more factual literature.--Mary Lanni, Denver Public Library

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.