Favorite Bird Books, of course!

BOOKS

Our “Reader’s Dozen” picks of favorite bird books for kids. Amazon links are included for your convenience and to support Grandycamp in a wish to keep us ad-free. Here is a Bookshop link, if you want to order online but prefer to support Independent Bookstores. We also love it when you purchase local and borrow from the library! We are always adding new publications to our shopping links – it is just so hard to choose, and we don’t want you to miss classics like Make Way for Ducklings! We finish out this post with Penguin Fun, so be sure to keep scrolling!

How to Find a Bird by Jennifer Ward, illus. Diana Sudyka. Ages 4-8. ISBN-10: 1481467050, ISBN-13: 978-1481467056 Ward’s enticing text pulls readers in with its welcoming and encouraging tone as two children demonstrate that “there are a lot of ways to find a bird.” Sudyka’s motion-filled watercolor gouache and digital illustrations are both informative and beautiful, with bird names labeled throughout. This inspiring picture book reminds readers that “we can all be birdwatchers!”

A Nest is Noisy by Dianna Hutts Aston, illus. Sylvia Long. Ages 4-8. ISBN-10: 1452161356, ISBN-13: 978-1452161358 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 intricacies.

Wild Wings by Jane Yolen, photos by Jason Stemple. Ages 4-6. ISBN-10: 1563979047, ISBN-13: 978-1563979040 Short, evocative poetry for young readers to witness up close the joy of birds. Reminding you also of her Caldecott Award-winning Owl Moon.

The Big Book of Birds by Yuval Zommer. Ages 6-8. ISBN-10: 0500651515, ISBN-13: 978-0500651513 Distinctive illustrations show off some of the most colorful, flamboyant, impressive, and wacky birds with text that is chatty, funny, and full of remarkable facts. Picture-book charm pairs with informative nonfiction to make a beautiful, large-format title bursting with hummingbirds, peacocks, flamingos, bald eagles, secretary birds, puffins, red-crowned cranes, and more. The book also invites young bird-watchers to protect birds where they live and make their gardens bird-friendly.

Red & Lulu by Matt Tavares. Ages 3-7. ISBN-10: 0763677337, ISBN-13: 978-0763677336 When their towering evergreen home is cut down, a pair of cardinals is separated. But one chases the other all the way to New York City, where their tree becomes a major holiday tourist attraction. The illustrations are sublime, and when the cardinals find each other again, it is a bit of real holiday magic.

Feathers: Not just for Flying by Mellissa Stewart. Ages 6-9. ISBN-10: 1580894313, ISBN-13: 978-1580894319Young naturalists explore sixteen birds in this elegant introduction to the many, remarkable uses of feathers. A concise main text highlights how feathers are not just for flying. More curious readers are invited to dig deeper with informative sidebars that underscore how feathers of all shapes and sizes help birds with warming or cooling, protect them from the sun, help them swim, glide or even dig. Both common and exotic species, the new and the familiar, part science journal, part read-along nonfiction.

The Boy Who Drew Birds: A Story of John James Audubon by Jacqueline Davies, illus. Melissa Sweet. Ages 6-10. ISBN-10: 0618243437, ISBN-13: 978-0618243433 As a young boy (c.1804), Audubon was determined to find out if the birds nesting near his Pennsylvania home would really return the following spring. Through careful observation, James laid the foundation for all that we know about migration patterns today. Capturing the early passion of this bird-obsessed young man as well as the meticulous study and scientific methods behind his research, this lively, gorgeously illustrated biography will inspire.

Beaks! by Sneed Collard III, illus. Robin Brickman. Ages 4-8. ISBN-10: 1570913889, ISBN-13: 978-1570913884 Young naturalists explore a variety of birds, their habitats, and how their beaks help them build, eat, and survive. Fun facts about how beaks are designed and used as tools by birds of all shapes and sizes. Bright, bold cut and molded paper illustrations create amazingly realistic tableaus of birds in their natural environments with their beaks in action.

Tiny Bird: A Hummingbird’s Amazing Journey by Robert Burleigh, illus. Wendell Minor. Ages 5-9. ISBN-10: 1627793690, ISBN-13: 978-1627793698 Today Tiny Bird begins its amazing journey south for the winter, traveling as fast as thirty miles an hour for hundreds of miles on end. The trip is long, with savage weather and many predators along the way, but Tiny Bird is built for this epic journey, eventually arriving at its winter home. Light and motion-filled illustrations celebrate the mpressive feat of this small but mighty creature.

This is the Nest that Robin Built by Denise Fleming. Ages 2-8. ISBN-10: 1481430831, ISBN-13 : 978-1481430838 Robin is building a nest, and her friends are ready to help! The squirrel trims the twigs. The dog brings the string. The horse shares his straw. And then a surprise gatefold spread reveals how Robin knits them all together to make a safe and cozy home for her babies, a celebration of bits and pieces, of process, and creation. The verse is saturated with alliteration and internal rhymes and the collage illustrations gain bold, mottled textures from varied artistic techniques.

Owl Babies by Martin Waddell, illus. Patrick Benson. Ages 3-7. ISBN-10: 0763617105, ISBN-13: 978-0763617103 Stunning illustrations from striking perspectives capture anxious little owls as they worry. Not surprisingly, joyous flapping and dancing and bouncing greet the mother’s return, lending a celebratory tone to the ending of this comforting tale. Never has the plight of young ones who miss their mother been so simply told or so beautifully rendered. Board book version available.

Cold Little Duck, Duck, Duck by Lisa Westberg Peters, illus. Sam Williams. Ages3-5. ISBN-10: 9780688161781, ISBN-13: 978-0688161781 Enchanting rhyme and repetition and absolutely winsome illustrations of the cold (but brave!) little duck who arrives a bit too early for miserable and still-frozen spring. Board book version available.

DIANNE’S PICK: We lost a brilliant and cherished friend, colleague, and mentor, Dr. Dianne Monson, in early March 2020. We decided to honor her on our lists with a book we just know she would pick!  

Feathers for Lunch by Lois Ehlert. Ages baby-3. ISBN-10: 9780152009861, ISBN-13: 978-0152009861 An escaped house cat encounters twelve common birds in the backyard but captures only feathers for lunch. Includes bird guide and Ehlert’s expressive, bright, colorful cut paper collage style.

by Karen Ritz, creator of www.GrandyCamp.info – website and social for active, busy grandparents, B.S. Children’s Literature and Illustration, University of Minnesota, illustrator of 46 children’s books, and “Gramma” to Jack and Grace.

Dr. Rebecca Rapport, retired Children’s Literature Professor, University of Minnesota, former editor of New Books for Young Readers, practicing with many Grand Nieces and Nephews, and now a brand new Grandma to Damien!

If you are a bird-lover, you might know bird-lovers having birthdays, and you might need a card with their name customized in the Happy Birthday lyrics. Just sayin’! If you joined our newsletter subscription above, you get a secret code for free shipping anytime you order. Thank you for supporting small business!