Beautiful Bird Books - A Fiction Break!

Join me in taking a break from my nonfiction Cybils readings to share two amazingly appealing books about birds. 

Beach Lane Books

ONE DARK BIRD is written by the endlessly talented Liz Garton Scanlon and illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon.
This is a prime example of how a great picture book story idea (a murmuration of starlings) may spring from casual observations but can achieve greatness as a circle story in rhymed text, a counting book, a bedtime book, and an informative exploration of nature for even the youngest audiences. Scanlon achieves the elevation of an original concept or a simple counting book to one that should (and will) become a classic. It also serves as a masterclass for anyone hoping to write picture books.
Apart from that praise from an adult/writer perspective, this is also a book that kids will adore. It invites us to LOOK UP, to notice the natural world that surrounds us, and to seek further information and/or observations of natural phenomena. 
Starlings are all too often considered noisy, pesty birds, but I can assure you, from up-close and personal experience, they are comic and clever individually, apart from this instinctive pattern of group flight to escape predators. What's more, they are EVERYWHERE, which means kids across the country can step right outside and start watching for the living stars of this story. Migration season means these noisy birds are currently flocking, so it is an ideal time to LOOK UP and spot the phenomena.

Beach Lane Books

The second superior bird book is FLY! by Mark Teague. This is not a story of fall flocking. Instead, it features a springtime fledgling who (obviously) has been well fed and nurtured. When Baby bird squawks for a worm, Mama bird urges the reluctant nestling to get out and on the branch, to spread its wings and takes steps to grow beyond being a baby. 
Not one word is on a single page, but what a story those pages tell!  The entire (laugh-out-loud) dialogue between these two is conducted in picture-talk-speech-bubbles.
The fuzzy little one has a comical response to each and every one of Mama's argument, with no limit to the creative ways it might migrate ithat won't require learning to fly, or ways to defend itself from predators. 
The humor soars throughout the fledgling's stubborn refusal to fly until a dramatic conclusion elevates the story to a satisfying ending. Little ones will delight in being able to "read" the script on their own, and adults will sympathize with the mostly patient Mama.
These are not among my current nonfiction stack, but I'm refreshed by reading them. Each offers deep and engaging truths in and each will charm and entertain. 

THEME MONTHS: Break Those Boundaries!

Two reviews today are intentionally paired and featured to underscore the truth that THEME MONTHS are not designed as calendar limits on reading and sharing, but to serve as spotlights on outstanding books that might otherwise be overlooked. The best of these books should be showcased throughout the year and across various themes and purposes.
From the beginning of this blog (here, too) and stretching back through my long teaching career, I've struggled with the concept of theme months. As WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH ends and  BLACK HISTORY MONTH fades nearly out of sight in the rear view mirror, POETRY MONTH bounces through April's open window and into our hearts. In fact, there are plenty of books that intersect among two or three (or more) of these themes. Let these two titles remind you to share the best of ALL books ALL year long, and imprint that message on the minds of young readers.

I've long been a fan of reading and sharing AT LEAST ONE poem and AT LEAST ONE picture book per day. There are plenty of poetry anthologies that are NOT self-limiting to this one month of April, collections that feature poems about every day of the twelve months of the year. Many span all four seasons and countless topics. 
If that surprises you, I urge you to pause and  click this link to check out Lee Bennet Hopkins, the talented and esteemed author, editor, and anthologizer of poetry. If you try the link and never get back to this post, I'll understand. Hopkins's website makes my point for me: APRIL doesn't even scratch the surface of amazing poems meant to be enjoyed and shared all year round. 

Nosy Crow, 2018

A fine example, and a recent one, is this coffee-table-worthy book that deserves daily living space with a family or classroom like yours. SING A SONG OF SEASONS: A NATURE POEM FOR EACH DAY OF THE YEAR offers poems collected by Fionna Waters and pages delightfully illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon. The unifying theme of nature provides the focus for these selected  poems, a balanced blend of  all-time classics (including ones by the prolific Anonymous) and contemporary creators. The poems are organized chronologically and arranged following monthly, date-labeled tables of contents. The back matter is an invaluable resource (author index, title index, and first line index). The language is enhanced brilliantly by the remarkable illustrations throughout. 
And how about this... my copy includes a page-marker ribbon, something that makes my heart smile.

With this book, I proudly unfurl my flag and march in the "POEM-A-DAY" parade, challenging one and all who would dare to stop sharing poems when April ends. 
Pssst...Learn more about some exciting poetry-related activities HERE, but promise to use them all year long. Please.

Carolrhoda Books, 2019

Just to keep my rabble-rousing, theme-bucking mood going, here's an important and thrilling  non-fiction title I've been saving (and renewing) since the first week of February. It popped up in more than one blog post during Black History Month, earning multiple starred reviews. As much as I loved it, I waited to share it until that theme had blown away on a gusty March wind. LET 'ER BUCK: GEORGE FLETCHER, THE PEOPLE'S CHAMPION is written by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson and illustrated by Gordon C. James. If ever there were a hidden history story that needed to be told, this is it. This dramatic account reveals the amazing life (and skills) of African-American George Fletcher, who grew up in the Pacific Northwest in the first decades of the twentieth century. He learned early to weather the  taunts (and worse) from white neighbors, finding friends on the Umatilla Indian Reservation where he learned the ways of the horses, rough-riding and bouncing back regardless of how tough the landing.
This depiction of his early years and the 1911 Pendleton Round-Up stars George, but also nods to the talents and roles of Jackson Sundown (Nez Perce tribe), John Spain (the judges' favorite contestant- who just happened to be white) and Sheriff Tillman Taylor (with a strong sense of justice). 
This book deserves attention for the vivid depiction of a dramatic time and place, for the page-turning tension of the culminating events, and for the densely saturated colors and action-packed scenes that leap from the pages like a 3-D movie. 
Only better. 
Each page feels like it could be framed as fine art, yet it urges readers onward to follow George's compelling life. James is as adept and artful with hoof-flinging, muscular horses, tails flying and nostrils flaring, as he is when rendering a full-page foreground image of young George's beaming smile while riding all-out down the dusty main road in town. You will want to fly through these pages, and you should do so. Then, reread and linger in the notes at the back, revealing even more details about the various players and the research that provides the foundation for the book. 
Finally, return again to savor the art.

But you're not through yet. This is one of those powerful picture books that can be pulled out time and again for many reasons, including poetry month. It is not written in rhyme or verse, but "boy howdy" the language captures the time, place, and personalities with humor and brilliance. The author adopts a voice that drips with colloquialisms that fit the story like a glove but could also serve as mentor text for poetry, figurative language, or any genre. At times it reads as intentionally gaudy and humorous, then drops into subtle expressions that beg to be read aloud: 

• Life at home was no bushel of peaches.
• George took to their ways like a wet kitten to a warm brick.
• Life in the saddle and riding rough were all George hankered for.
• He rode the buck out of the bruiser but... their dance spilled onto the sidewalk.

Capturing and balancing just the right tone in word choice, direct narrative, and authentic language is enhanced by the art designer's shifts in font, sizing, page layout, and text colors. This is a book you shouldn't miss. I'm risking a prediction here that the ear-tickling text and eye-candy illustrations will have this title rounding up lots of attention (and medals and honors) come award season. Once you read it, I'm betting you'll be recommending it, too. In February, in April, and all year long.