Anne Hunter

Randi Sonenshine

birds

Nature lovers and poetry fans alike will be drawn to this lyrical picture book depicting how Carolina wrens build a nest for their young.

This is the bark, snippets of twine,  
spidery rootlets, and needles of pine  
that shape the nest that Wren built.

In the rhyming style of “The House That Jack Built,” this poem about the care and specificity that Carolina wrens put into building a nest is at once tender and true to life. Papa and Mama Wren gather treasures of the forest, from soft moss for a lining to snakeskin for warding off predators. Randi Sonenshine’s lilting stanzas, woven with accurate and unexpected details about Carolina wrens, and Anne Hunter’s gentle, inviting illustrations reveal the mysterious lives of these birds and impart an appreciation for the wonder of the life cycles around us. Back matter includes a glossary and additional interesting facts about wrens.

The Nest That Wren Built

Linda Joy Singleton

Richard Smythe

A sandhill crane lifts a stick. A construction crane lifts a log. The two cranes grab, stretch, and stack, working through bad weather and difficult obstacles toward their end goal: building a home for a new family. Told in a simple sequence of verbs, this colorful picture book demonstrates how the mechanical world mirrors the natural world.

Crane and Crane

Henry Cole

Award-winning author-illustrator Henry Cole soars to new heights in this stunning picture book about robins: their homes, their lives, and their families.

In this black-and-white picture book highlighted with robin’s egg blue, the reader will follow two robins as they build a nest with twigs and grass. Then mother robin lays four beautiful blue eggs and will keep the eggs warm in the nest until they hatch into four baby robins.

The father robin protects the babies until they can fly on their own. The perils the babies encounter are many, including snakes and storms. The nest is always their safe place.

Nesting provides introductory biology and animal science concepts for very young children, and also makes a spectacular springtime gift.

Award-winning author-illustrator Henry Cole has re-created the life story of the robin with simple text and stunning artwork. Nesting is the perfect primer for young bird-watchers and nature lovers. The beautiful, intricate black-and-white illustrations are illuminated with lovely washes of blue that breathe life into the artwork.

Nesting

Ken Brown

A resourceful chicken seeks the help of her farm animal friends to solve a problem, while giving something of herself along the way.

Chicken really admires Scarecrow’s hat. Scarecrow would gladly trade his hat for a walking stick to rest his tired arms. Chicken doesn’t have a walking stick to trade―but she knows someone who does. This begins her quest to find items to trade among her farm friends, all to obtain a walking stick to swap for Scarecrow’s hat. But why does Chicken want an old straw hat?
With bright watercolors and a gentle tone to keep readers captivated, this clever story written and illustrated by Ken Brown poses a problem and offers a creative solution that young children will delight in discovering.

The Scarecrow's Hat

Jennifer Ward

Steve Jenkins

Illustrations and simple, rhyming text introduce different kinds of birds’ nests, from the scrapes that falcons build atop high, craggy ledges to the underground nests that burrowing owls dig. Includes brief facts about each kind of bird.

Mama Built a Little Nest

Dianna Hutts Aston

Sylvia Long

“Fans will rejoice at the first sight of A Nest Is Noisy,” promises School Library Journal, and they’re right. From the award-winning creators of An Egg Is Quiet, A Seed Is Sleepy, A Butterfly Is Patient, A Rock Is Lively, and A Beetle Is Shy comes this gorgeous and informative look at the fascinating world of nests, from those of tiny bee hummingbirds to those of orangutans high in the rainforest canopy. Poetic in voice and elegant in design, this carefully researched book introduces children to a captivating array of nest facts and will spark the imaginations of children whether in a classroom reading circle or on a parent’s lap.

A Nest Is Noisy

Jane Yolen

Heidi E. Y. Stemple

Melissa Sweet

Now available in a board book edition, this lyrical bedtime book is an ode to baby birds everywhere and to sleepy children, safe in their beds. As a mother describes how different species of birds nest, secure and cozy with their mama birds, she tucks her own child into bed with the soothing refrain – “you nest here with me” – easing her little one and readers alike to slumber. Accompanied by beautiful artwork by award-winning illustrator Melissa Sweet, mother and daughter Jane Yolen and Heidi Stemple have combined their poetry writing and love of birding in this board book that is sure to become a bedtime classic.

You Nest Here with Me

Joanne Lew-Vriethoff

Real-life super-sleuth and media sensation Hilde Lysiak’s reporting skills are put to the test in this fun early chapter book mystery series!Pick a book. Grow a Reader! This series is part of Scholastic’s early chapter book line, Branches, aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-paced plots, and illustrations on every page, these books will boost reading confidence and stamina. Branches books help readers grow! Real-life crime reporter Hilde Lysiak is starring in her very own early chapter book series – inspired by real news stories she has written! In this third book, there’s a fire on Orange Street and a shop burns down! Mrs. Brown thinks her candles started the fire. She’s so upset she won’t leave her house. But the town pet parade can’t start without her! Hilde needs to find out what REALLY caused the fire. Can she crack this RED-HOT case in time to save the parade? Joanne Lew-Vriethoff’s personality-filled illustrations appear on every page, bringing Hilde’s adventures to life for young readers!

Fire! Fire!

Lane Fredrickson

Jon Davis

Cecily Beasley is never polite–she won’t say thank you, please, or goodnight. She slurps her food, refuses to share, and sticks her tongue out everywhere. But this rude little girl gets her comeuppance in this rambunctious, rhyming picture book that makes its point with irresistible humor. Every child has heard the words, “Don’t make that face. It might freeze that way!” Well, that’s exactly what happens to Cecily–and to make things worse, a bird builds a nest on her outstretched tongue! But only when the chicks hatch will Cecily finally learn a lesson she’ll never forget.

Watch Your Tongue, Cecily Beasley

Cynthia Rylant

Sucie Stevenson

Annie and her cousin Henry find a nest in this Level 2 Ready-to-Read by the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award-winning creators of Henry and Mudge.  Someone is building a nest on Annie’s porch. Annie can’t wait to show her favorite cousin, Henry. Every day they watch the nest grow bigger and bigger. One day five small eggs appear. Annie and Henry love seeing the mother robin with her nest. But it’s not easy to be patient. When will the baby birds hatch?

Annie and Snowball and the Cozy Nest

Olivia Cosneau

Join bird as she hunts a tasty caterpillar, sings in the trees and meets a new friend. But what happens when she lays three small eggs in her nest? This bright, engaging board book follows a simple story about a little bird in the wild and is the perfect first introduction to nature for little ones. Each page features bright, bold illustrations and includes a window or a flap to encourage children to read on and discover what happens next

Bird

John Manders

“Perfect fine-feathered fun.” – Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Jack the cat is building the perfect nest. It’s bound to attract the perfect chicken, who will lay the perfect egg, which will make the perfect omelet. And sure enough, a chicken shows up (¡Caramba!), but so do a duck (Sacré bleu!) and a goose (Great balls of fire!). Feathers get ruffled – and Jack gets much more than breakfast – in a funny tale rich in detail, with a sweet final twist.

The Perfect Nest

Gideon Sterer

Andrea Tsurumi

A hilarious and oh-so-honest look at the art of sharing, from two rising picture-book stars. Bird is just about to put the finishing touches on his new home when he suddenly finds that his nest is already full–of someone else. So he reluctantly builds another nest. But Fox finds this new nest quite comfy, and Brush Hog loves the view from Bird’s next attempt. Soon the Acacia tree is bursting with happily nested animals of all shapes and stripes–everyone except bird! But when Bird finally finds a way to evict his unwelcome guests, the animals realize their mistake and build a nest that’s big enough for all of them. Well, almost…

Not Your Nest!

Martin Jenkins

Richard Jones

It’s time for Bird to build her nest! Follow her as she pulls a worm out of the ground, lifts some twigs that are just the right size, and pushes the twigs into place. Uh-oh! One of the twigs falls to the ground! But after a day of hard work, Bird’s nest is ready and waiting. Can you guess what it’s waiting for? Using simple, clear language and beautiful illustrations, this engaging story is the perfect introduction to physical forces for very young readers. A final spread with some simple questions promotes discussion with parents, teachers, or caregivers and encourages readers to think about the concepts introduced.

A gentle, sweetly illustrated concept book takes on physical forces as young children learn about pushing and pulling.

Bird Builds a Nest

Marilyn Grohoske Evans

Nicole Gsell

Succinct and factual text follows chimney swifts as they arrive on a Texas farm, build their nest, lay eggs, ready for fledglings to take flight, and eventually prepare to migrate back to South America. In a parallel, wordless story, a mom, dad, and young girl on the farm watch the chimney swifts throughout the summer and fall, even as they build a new crib and ready for the new baby they’re expecting. As they enjoy their baby’s first months, they also celebrate the fledglings’ first flight and bid the birds good-bye until next year.

Nicole Gsell’s soft illustrations follow the tales of both families—bird and human—from each unique perspective.

A beautiful addition to bird lovers’ collections, as well as classrooms and libraries.

Spit & Sticks: A Chimney Full of Swifts

Donna Jo Napoli

Jim LaMarche

You never know what a day will bring.
The morning begins like any other. Albert reaches out the window to check the weather. But from the moment a twig lands smack in the palm of his hand, life is never the same.
In her first picture book, Donna Jo Napoli invents a magical and inspiring tale that will capture the heart of any reader who has loved a pet. Jim LaMarche creates an endearing character in Albert and a classic setting for the miraculous new world that unfolds around him.

Albert

Toni Yuly

Jelly Bean the giraffe loves her forest and her friends–even if she’s too tall to play on the forest floor. She also loves napping with her head in the trees. But when Mama Bird decides Jelly Bean is the perfect place for her nest, the giraffe suddenly has a big responsibility as she waits for the baby birds to hatch. Can Jelly Bean be patient and still enough, day and night? Yes, with a little help from her friends.Working with collage and torn tissue paper, Toni Yuly brings charm and humor to her bold, colorful artwork in this gentle story about friendship, The Jelly Bean Tree.

Jelly Bean Tree

Herman Parish

Lynne Avril

Learn to read with young Amelia Bedelia! Amelia Bedelia has been loved by readers for more than fifty years, and it turns out that her childhood is full of silly mix-ups, too!When a pair of robins begins building a nest in Amelia Bedelia’s swing set, she is torn between wanting to clear it off so that she can continue to slide down her slide, and giving up that fun so she can watch the birds raising their babies. She sides with the birds, and observing them informs her about her own family. Amelia Bedelia Is for the Birds is a Level One I Can Read book, which means it’s perfect for children learning to sound out words and sentences.

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