Monday, May 12, 2014

Bird Book 2


Every piece of art created by Steve Jenkins makes me want a sharp scissor and a collection of unique papers. In my mind, I imagine creating collages like his. His layers, colors, textures, and compositions transform paper into life-like birds in Jennifer Ward's new book Mama Built a Little Nest. Even the bird's eyes seem to be looking at me, that tiny bit of white reflected in them. 

The rhyming text tracks the nests built by various bird mothers. The woodpecker taps into a tree trunk. The hummingbird makes a tiny nest of moss that will stretch to hold her young. Some birds inhabit the nests built by other mother birds. Others make a scrape along the side of a cliff. The male cactus wren even makes multiple nests in hopes of attracting an interested female! 

I learned about so many different nests and enjoyed the small captions that provided additional information. The technique of the weaverbirds is admirable. The floating nests of the grebes are attached - or anchored - to plants. Swiftlets (a bird I had never known until this book!) make a nest that is edible, eaten as bird's nest soup in China. Her author's note tells more about nests and provides resources for learning additional facts.

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