Wild Birds [Hardcover]

Joanne Ryder (Author), Susan Estelle Kwas (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2003 | Age Level: 4 and up

Everywhere --
even in streets and backyards --
there are wild birds.

Swirling through the air,
speckling the treetops,
tiptoeing through the grass,
wild birds are near,
watching you watch them.

During the bright warm days,
they sometimes stay
and share a place with you.

And in winter,
if you care for them,
wild birds may flutter even nearer --
till you feel like a wild one, too.

Wild Birds invites you to look and listen and to enjoy these lively flyers who share this ever-changing world with you.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1-Ryder's simply worded, brief, nonrhyming poetic text urges children to take note of the activities of wild birds around them. She reminds readers that these feathered creatures are everywhere-in the air, in the trees, and on the ground-gliding, tiptoeing, searching for food, and protecting their young. Amid the activity, 11 varieties of birds (identified only on the copyright/dedication spread) are depicted and a young girl dressed in hot pink, orange, red, purple, and blue is shown gazing through binoculars, sitting in a tree branch, peering into a nest, looking out a window, filling a feeder, making snow angels, and lying in bed dreaming of flying with her feathered friends. The brightly colored paintings are eye-catching. While the illustrations are stylized and often flat, the birds shown in the variety of outdoor scenes are detailed enough to clearly represent their species. Girl, birds, trees, and buildings are outlined in black to make them stand out. An additional title for most collections, this well-designed book may delight youngsters if an adult makes the effort to reinforce its simple lessons about observing nature.
Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Joanna Ryder is an award-winning author whose books offer a unique blend of poetry and science. Her innovative Just for a Day series invites children into the world of wild animals, ranging from a sea otter to Tyrannosaurus rex. Ms. Ryder says, "Children know that my books often ask them to imagine being a different creature. So they always ask me which animal I would choose to be. I'd be a flying one, I tell them. Or if I could, I'd wish for wings. And I've discovered children would love wings, too. But which ones to choose? I wrote Rainbow Wings to help us decide." Ms. Ryder lives in Pacific Grove, California.

In Her Own Words...

"When I was small, my father would find tiny treasures in our garden and bring them to me cupped gently in his hands." I've got something fabulous to show you," he'd say, carefully opening his fingers. I might see a cicada watching me with ruby eyes or a snail gliding across his palm. Then my father would slip the animal into my hands so I could watch it and feel it move for a moment until we returned it to its home. (In case you haven't held a snail, it feels like cool Jell-O sliding over warm skin!)

"My father helped me find the magic in the natural world and appreciate what it might be like to be another creature, someone wonderfully different. in my books, I try to share with my readers the experience of being "shape changers." We imagine together how it would feel to be someone new--a huge, furry polar bear running on an ice-covered sea, a lean lizard changing colors in the hot sun, a humpback whale singing its winter song, a sea otter floating on a seaweed bed, a Jaguar prowling in a lush tropical rain forest, and a great white shark gliding toward its prey.

"I liked to read when I was young, especially adventures about dogs uid cats, and I began writing my own animal stories. My family and teachers encouraged my writing and made me want to continue. So I studied journalism at Marquette University, and I learned how to research and discover facts. Sometimes a book idea comes from an amazing animal fact I've found. A curious person, I start thinking of questions about where the animal lives and how it spends its days and nights. I may hunt for the answers for months before I write a word of my book.

"For several years I was an editor of children's books in New York. Now I write full-time and live in California. I enjoy hiking through woods and parks and by the sea. There, it is still easy for me to imagine what it might be like to be a tiny insect hidden in the leaves above or perhaps a whale swimming deep below the pounding waves. So my language is poetic, full of images, sounds, and sensations to help readers slip into a new skin, a new shape.

"My father helped me discover the wonders hidden all around me, and in my books I try to share my own discoveries with children. And I hope when they explore the natural world on their own, they will also find it a most inviting place--as I did and still do."

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; 1 edition (March 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060277386
• ISBN-13: 978-0060277383
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 9.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,227,263 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars for young bird watchers, March 2, 2004

By 

Melissa Sack (georgia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wild Birds (Hardcover)

Wild Birds is a great science read aloud for a bird unit. The lovely art work shows a little girl who enjoys bird watching. She watches them in all seasons. It features the many places that one may see birds, such as at a feeder, in a nest, on wire and in trees.

The book is a great discussion starter for simple lessons about observing nature. The little girl is shown being very still around the birds. This is something that young children may have a hard time with. When they see how close the birds come to the girl in the story they may try a little harder on their next nature trip.

This is a great book for young children. It would make a great storytime book. Teachers and parent will enjoy sharing this book with children ages 4-8.

5.0 out of 5 stars Love it!, July 11, 2011

By 

Kelly Field (Carlisle, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wild Birds (Library Binding)

My 3 year old loves this book. He's learned all the birds by name that are shown on the inside cover (about 20 or so). We've read it a thousand times. Very cute!

1.0 out of 5 stars Very Disappointed!, June 19, 2011

By 

Annie Zimmerman (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wild Birds (Hardcover)

I was very disappointed with this book! The story is okay...not great. The illustrations are terrible in that the little girl in the story looks mad or sad in every single picture. In my opinion, she looks suspicious or afraid of the birds -- not interested in them. My 5 year old daughter kept asking why the girl was mad. I am getting rid of this book. We love another of Joanne Ryder's books called Where Butterflies Grow; the illustrations in this book are beautiful and inspiring (by a different illustrator than Wild Birds).