The Birdwatchers [Hardcover]

Simon James (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

A grandfather shares with his grandchild the quiet wonder of birdwatching - and a wry talent for telling a tall tale.


"When I go birdwatching, things happen," Granddad tells little Jess. Sometimes, he says, while he’s drawing pictures of the birds, they draw
pictures of him. And sometimes they help him out by finding their own names in his bird book. "Birds are amazing," says Granddad, but Jess isn’t so sure. So one day she goes birdwatching with Granddad to see for herself.

With expressive line-and-wash drawings, Simon James captures the leafy grandeur of the outdoors and the warm, special rapport between a child and a granddad, illustrating once again the huge happiness to be found in little things.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Things happen when Jess's granddad goes bird watching. Sometimes, when he makes drawings of the birds, they make drawings of him, too. And when he can't find their names in the bird book, his obliging feathered friends help him out. Well, at least this is the story Granddad tells Jess. Intrigued, she just has to find out for herself. The first thing Jess notices when they arrive in the woods is... nothing. Not a bird in sight, even when she uses Granddad's binoculars. But by day's end, Jess has seen plenty of birds--including a pair of dancing penguins who share her sandwich.

Simon James's (Dear Mr. Blueberry, Leon and Bob, etc.) dry comic timing is simply flawless in this warm, thoroughly appealing picture book. Expressive ink and watercolor illustrations capture the gentle balance between make-believe and real, most poignantly when we see a couple of penguins unobtrusively waddling after Jess and her granddad as they make their way home. (Ages 4 to 8) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly

The pacing of James's (Leon and Bob) meditative tale takes its cue from the avocation he salutes. Granddad tells the narrator, "Jess, when I go birdwatching, things happen." The opening pen-and-ink and watercolor wash depicts a mild-mannered bespectacled fellow with a cap and binoculars. But the narrative quickly takes a turn: the elderly gent explains that, when he sketches the birds, they sometimes make drawings of him as well (the accompanying illustration shows man and feathered friend perched high on a tree limb, sketch pads and pencils in hand er, wing). They even help him locate their names in his bird book. These antics make for humorous, understated visuals, and the stories inspire Jess to tag along one day. At first, "Nothing happened." Peering out from a birdwatching hut, however, the duo spies various species ("Yellow Warblers, Ring-necked Ducks, herons, snipe, and Western Grebes") floating on the surface of a nearby pond. James's brushstrokes fill all but the sparest patches of watercolor paper, and the white that shows through simulates sunlight filtering through the trees. Heading for home, Granddad asks Jess what she liked best about the day; picking up on his wry humor, she announces, "I liked it best when the dancing penguins came and shared my sandwich." (Sure enough, a pair of penguins waddle behind them.) This attractive volume rewards those who like its protagonists possess a degree of patience and an appreciation of nature. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick; 1st U.S. edition (May 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763616761
• ISBN-13: 978-0763616762
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 8.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,483,663 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LITTLE GIRL + GRANDFATHER + FUN AND FRIENDSHIP, May 17, 2002

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Birdwatchers (Hardcover)

With evocative ink and watercolor drawings, all full-page, author-illustrator Simon James relates a touching story of the very special relationship between a little girl and her grandfather.

For sometime, Jess has been hearing stories from her grandfather about birdwatching. He says such intriguing things as "Jess, when I make drawings of the birds, sometimes they make drawings of me, too."

He says that birds help him find their names in his bird book, and that he gathered all the birds to make a "dawn chorus" for her.

The little girl can resist no longer. She goes birdwatching with her grandfather, but doesn't see anything at all. Furthermore, nothing happens - that is, until they reach the birdwatching hut.

Soon after that Jess has a "story" for him.

Sure to appeal to all youngsters who have the friendship of an older adult...

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Toddler's Favorite, June 27, 2005

By 

Kris D. Larsen (Wassenaar, Netherlands) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Birdwatchers (Hardcover)

I got this book for my older son who loves all sorts of animals. He quite enjoyed it but I was quite surprised when my little 18 month baby wanted to read it too. True, she loves birds. She loves to go down to the park close to our house and feed `duckies'. When there are birds in our backyard she'll point through the back window at them, until I look, saying all the while, `bir, bir'. Just a couple of days ago she took the book out of our little-person's book section, walked over to my wife, took the book that she was reading out of her hands and put "Birdwatchers" into her hands. She then crawled up the couch and sat herself down in my wife's lap, waiting for her to start reading the story. My son liked the last page of the book, but my little girl will look on each page for any little birds that are there. It is quite a good book for any bird loving child's library or adult too for that matter.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Joys of Birdwatching....., October 7, 2002

By 

Roz Levine - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Birdwatchers (Hardcover)

"My granddad is a birdwatcher. He tells me birdwatching stories. He always says, "Jess, when I go birdwatching, things happen..." And our little narrator is intrigued with his tales. Sometimes, he tells her that when he makes drawings of the birds, they make drawings of him. The birds often help him find their names in his bird book, and they got all together early one morning and recorded the "dawn chorus." Granddad's stories are so fun and amazing that finally little Jess has to find out for herself. So one morning she goes birdwatching with her grandfather..... Simon James' gentle and engaging story is heartwarming, and complemented by playful and inviting illustrations is warm earthtones. Perfect for youngsters 4-8, The Birdwatchers is a captivating gem, with a humorous, surprise ending that you don't want to miss. Remember, when you go birdwatching, things happen...