Hummingbird Nest: A Journal of Poems (Hardcover)

by Kristine O'Connell George (Author), Barry Moser (Illustrator) "A spark, a glint, a glimpse of pixie tidbit..." (more)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Grade 3 Up-In this personal journal, George describes the building of an Anna's hummingbird's nest in a potted ficus tree on her patio and chronicles the hatching and rearing of the baby birds during a two-month period. Her poems include observations written from the points of view of her daughter and those of the family dog and cat. An author's note that provides commentary on the journal and two pages of detailed hummingbird facts are appended. The book itself is a handsome, finely crafted piece-a combination of creamy pages, clearly printed text, and perfectly placed illustrations. Moser's transparent watercolor paintings, which range in size from small vignettes to full-page illustrations, show mama hummingbird, nest, tree, hatchlings, and fledgling birds from a variety of perspectives. Although there is no shortage of informative books on hummingbirds, this lovely title provides a vicarious experience along with the facts.-Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
*Starred Review* K-Gr. 4. Hummingbirds are the smallest birds in the world, and their fragility and astonishing strength are the drama in these small, connected poems and beautiful watercolor pictures. After a hummingbird builds her nest in a tree on the patio of George's California home, the poet keeps a journal as she and her family watch the tough, chirping mother build a house of "webs and grass" and lay two tiny eggs. They see the hatchlings emerge from the cracked shells ("each new / breath a shudder"). There's the wonder of their first flight, and then they are gone. Opposite each poem, Moser's quiet, exquisitely detailed pictures show the people watching and the small, delicate creatures. The tiny Vs of the birds' open mouths are echoed in the shapes of the pointed leaves and the spread of the tree branches. The words are fearful when the nest has emptied ("the dark seems filled with cold and cat and owl"), but the picture shows the protective moon looking down over the tree in the yard. The long, beautifully written notes with astonishing facts about hummingbirds make this a fine choice for both language arts and science classes. As in the best nature writing, the excitement here is in the particulars that bring readers close up to a universe. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books (April 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152023259
• ISBN-13: 978-0152023256
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 7.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #616,107 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A jewel of a book...., August 31, 2004

By	Beth K. Hawkins "hummerlady" (Newark, DE USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is a tender treasure of hummingbird experiences through the wide-open eyes of a family entranced and the pen of a noted writer clearly in love with her subject.

Written as delightful poems, the story contains many teachable moments following "Anna" through the birth process, portraying the teetering and testing of the young ones' wings, proceeding on to the inevitable empty nest. It was hard to hold back tears as the wonder-filled story touches on the universal, relating to many cycles in our own lives.

The delicate watercolor drawings are beautiful in their own right, yet support and enhance the story in seemingly perfect harmony.

I heartily recommend this book to hummingbird lovers and children of all ages, who, caught up in the flow of the story, will absorb many hummingbird facts before they even know it.

Beth Kingsley Hawkins
Co-Editor, The Hummingbird Connection
www.hummingbird.org

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Educators Recommend, March 14, 2004

By	Education Oasis "Education Oasis" (USA) - See all my reviews

One warm, February morning a tiny hummingbird began building a nest in a ficus tree on the patio of George's home in Claremont , California . For the next two months George kept a "hummingbird journal" of the daily happenings. "I still marvel," she writes, "over the surprising range of emotions one small bird and her family evoked: awe, worry about possible dangers, and laughter when the baby birds teetered on the edge of the nest for their daily flight practice."

George has expertly taken those emotions and woven them into this delightful collection of poems. In "Visitor" we are introduced to the small mother. She is nothing more than a "spark, a glint, / a glimpse of pixie tidbit." In the next poem, however, we see her bravado and determination in action. She becomes a "feathered missile streaking by," ordering the humans off her patio, out of her territory.

Soon two eggs are visible in the "cobweb ship" of a nest. Once hatched, the nestlings, "raisin black / an wrinkled," settle in. In "Flight Practice," George does a superb job at allowing the reader to visualize the drama taking place: "Four curled up feet grip / the top of the nest. / Two tiny motors / rev up for the wing test."

Moser is in top form here. His realistic, incredibly detailed watercolor paintings are small jewels in themselves.

The poems and illustrations combine wonderfully to allow readers the opportunity to vicariously witness nature up-close.

Highly Recommended.

Reviewed by the Education Oasis Staff

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For hummingbird lovers of all ages, June 5, 2004

By	A. R. Edwards (West Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a reading specialist I regularly review new children's books. As soon as I saw this one, I thought of my mom. She's a sharp-minded 87-year-old who loves poetry, art and hummingbirds. She gives the artistry, both words and watercolors, of this book an easy five stars.