One of the things I love about walking and running in the early morning hours is the chance to hear bird songs. With 20+ years of time on the paths, my bird-call identification skills have improved. I wish I had started honing my skills earlier!
Young readers can start early with Have You Heard the Nesting Bird?, a new book by Rita Gray. Each line of the rhyming text is followed by an onomatopoeic bird song...chiddik, chiddik for the sparrow, ee-oh-lay ee-oh-lay for the wood thrush. All the while, the narrators are longing to hear the sound of the nesting bird, the robin. At the end of the book, "A Word with the Bird" provides readers with an interview with the mother robin, revealing details about her nesting habits and bird song. Clever.
The artwork by Kennard Pak is lovely, though I wish I knew more about the "digital media" used with the watercolor. The birds are sharp and appear to reflect their calls in their personalities. The landscapes - especially the house at night - are vividly engaging.
I read this book to kindergartners recently. I had them imitate the bird sounds after I read each one, and they did better than I expected. I have a book with recorded bird calls, from the Cornell Ornithology lab, and I had it cued up to play the robin's call at the last page. Then the teacher read the questions and I read the answers at the end of the book. Very satisfactory.
ReplyDeleteHahahaha!
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me my wife always called my young son her 'little bird' growing up. As a matter of fact, still does at times.
it is very interesting book... i have read it....
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