A Garden to Save the Birds

by Wendy McClure (Author) Beatriz Mayumi (Illustrator)

Reading Level: K − 1st Grade

When a bird flies into their window by accident, Callum and his sister, Emmy, learn that from the outside, the glass looks just like the sky. They also learn that the United States has lost a lot of birds in recent years--and that there are lots of things their family can do to help.

First, they set out feeders and make the windows safe. Then, for the winter, they build a little shelter and put out a heated birdbath. By springtime, all kinds of birds are visiting their yard!

But with such a big problem, is there more they can do to make a difference?

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Kirkus

A welcome can-do story about environmental activism.

Publishers Weekly

Narrated by Callum, a bespectacled child with warm brown skin and wavy hair, this inspiring picture book relays how a bird's accidental collision into a window galvanizes a family to learn about helping birds. Through strategic gardening, bird feeder positioning, and nighttime light reduction, the family transforms their home; their activism then begets outreach as they persuade their neighborhood to become a wildlife habitat. Featuring a rich color palette and detailed fowl, Mayumi's modern, animation-style art will appeal in her picture book debut. McClure's informative, sequential model, which presents a problem the birds face and a solution the children reach, will resonate with young bird enthusiasts and burgeoning environmentalists, as will the compassionate community care message ("We're growing back the world too./ A little bit, at least./ Still, there's more we can do"). Back matter includes facts about the birds, actions that readers can take to help, and online resources. Ages 4-8. (Apr.)

Copyright 2021 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes




Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780807527535
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Albert Whitman & Company
Publication date
April 01, 2021
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV002040 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Birds
JUV013070 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Siblings
JUV029010 - Juvenile Fiction | Nature & the Natural World | Environment
Library of Congress categories
Birds
Fiction
Picture books
Gardens
Families
Family life
Protection
Neighborhoods

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