A Terrible Place for a Nest
by Sara Levine (Author) Erika Meza (Illustrator)
A child learns to settle into a new home in this lyrical and stirring picture book perfect for fans of MEMORY JARS and EVELYN DEL REY IS MOVING AWAY.
Juno and his mom have just moved into a new home, and he hates everything about it - the new school, his new classmates, his new room. Just outside his window, Juno notices a family of mourning doves have started a nest atop the fence, and they seem to be struggling to make it work, too.
Sure enough, Juno concludes this new place is a terrible place to build a nest. But, as winter turns to spring and the doves grow, so does Juno. And while this new place may be scary and sometimes lonely, they will all make it work, together.
Lyrical and hopeful, A Terrible Place for a Nest is a tender and uplifting tale about facing new experiences with empathy and courage.
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Kirkus
A feel-good ode to resilience.
Publishers Weekly
When Juno and his mother lose their home and have to move, his mom likes the sounds of the mourning doves that greet them at their new address. But for Juno, who feels the change keenly, "this is a terrible place to build a nest!" When one of the family's movers inadvertently smashes the mourning doves' nest and eggs, things hit an emotional bottom for Juno: "I told you it was a bad place for a nest!" Over time, though, Juno makes a friend and unpacks his room, and the birds make another nest, as Meza's palette warms subtly from chalky, washed-out blues and browns to cheerful saturated hues. The slow but steady transformation that Levine traces from upset to familiarity and joy feels real and satisfying as the family lavishes care on the mourning doves and, in the process, on making a new home for themselves. Juno and his mother have brown skin; other characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 4-8. (May)
Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
Sara Levine is a veterinarian, an educator, and an award-winning author of science-focused picture books, including Bone by Bone: Comparing Animal Skeletons, A Peek at Beaks: Tools Birds Use, and The Animals Would Not Sleep!. A Terrible Place for a Nest was inspired by a couple mourning doves who did, in fact, build their nest in an inconvenient location. Sara and her daughter have had to move more times than they would have liked in recent years and are currently settling into a new nest in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Erika Meza grew up in Mexico and moved houses more often than she had birthdays. Having studied illustration in Paris, she now lives in London--her thirty-sixth address--where she paints, writes her own stories, and practices her uncanny ability to pack efficiently. Erika loves exploring, learning about many different places and cultures, and finding joy in the people who allow you to be yourself.
JUV039050 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Emotions & Feelings
JUV039090 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | New Experience
Adjustment
Mourning doves
Pigeon family (Birds)
