Bird Watch (Hardcover)

by Jane Yolen (Author) "Across the earless face of the moon a stretch of Vs honks homeward..." (more)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
From its arresting cover of a vee of geese stretching across the "earless / face of the moon" to the songbirds that sit "along the wires / like scattered notes / on lines of music" on the last page, this soaring collection of poems about birds will delight young ornithologists. Though some of the poems deal with subjects beyond the experience of most children, all are carefully wrought and thoughtful. Lewin's breathtaking watercolors marvelously complement Yolen's graceful language and gentle humor, and a glossary at the end supplies interesting facts about each species of bird included in the volume. Like Yolen's winter finches at their feeder, these elegant poems and unforgettable pictures will last "long, long / past the turning of the year." All ages.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 2 Up-- Yolen and Lewin have combined verbal and visual images in an expression of reverence for and joy in our feathered friends. But this is not, in any way, a preachy book. Yolen's startling descriptions almost jump off the page, reminding readers of what they may have watched but never truly saw. Sometimes the images will cause readers to stop and then break into laughter, as when a woodpecker's ratatat is described as "as cleansing as a dentist's probe/ in a mouthful of cavities." There is a poignancy in "Nestlings," which states that, "All babies/ are born/ ugly/ and unfinished./ But today/I found a nest with/ three/ baby/ robins/ and they were/ beautiful/ because they were mine." Each double-page spread contains a single poem and corresponding picture. The birds are beautifully, vibrantly, and realistically portrayed in Lewin's watercolor paintings that perfectly match the words of the poems. The cardinal, "a brilliant blot/on winter's page," is indeed a bold red on the upper left of two stark, snowy pages. The Great Blue Heron is smaller against the dark autumn colors, revealing the complete mirrored reflection of this bird "Motionless, a painted hunter/upon a painted pond." Scientific descriptions of the birds at the end of the book help to assure readers of the accuracy of their portrayal. This is a book that naturalists, artists, and poets, young and old, will enjoy. --Kay E. Vandergrift, School of Communication, Information and Library Studies, Rutgers Univ . , New Brunswick, NJ
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Philomel; F edition (October 23, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 039921612X
• ISBN-13: 978-0399216121
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,832,963 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The beauty of nature with a fact or two!, February 9, 2000

By	Janet Rehmert (Thayer, Kansas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bird Watch (Paperback)

In Bird Watch, the poet integrates a fact or two about the bird as she paints an elegant picture of its uniqueness and beauty. The reader can envision the cardinal, brilliantly sitting atop the white blanket of snow, "A brilliant blot on winter's page." Or see the song birds, sitting on telephone lines that in one's mind now become lines of music and the birds "like scattered notes." Other inviting features of the book include the bird facts in the back and Ted Lewin's illustrations, marvelously bringing each bird to life. When in search for nature poetry, Jane Yolen is the end of your journey. Enjoy!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Swan, June 14, 2001

By	T. Wilson (Visalia, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Bird Watch (Paperback)

This collection of seventeen poems presents fourteen different species of birds to the reader. The poems vary in length from just a few lines to multiple stanzas. The poems are at times lyrical, thoughtful, and whimsical. Each poem gracefully presents a unique charactereistic, behavior, and/or habit of each bird to the reader. The poems are complemented by double-page water color paintings which accurately depict each bird. There are short notes about each bird at the back of the book. The book is beautiful and would appeal to elementary as well as middle school students.