Let's Hear It For the Birds... and Dinosaurs!

When was the last time you saw a dinosaur? Particularly a T-Rex? If you think  it was at a museum (fossils or reconstructions) or in animation or a book, you are probably not correct. That's my sideways introduction to the topic of the day. You probably HAVE seen a dinosaur in the last few days... if you've seen a bird! And that's surprising close to seeing T. Rex!

Several books about dinosaur-ancestor-links to modern birds have been hitting the shelves. Books for adults and young readers. I've been devouring many of those as research for a current nonfiction writing project. Books intended for adult and for youth audiences are equally revealing and remarkable. I generally use books from the library for such reading, since I lack both the funds and the floor space for the countless books I choose to read. But among the many gems on this topic, one was so impressive that I now own my own copy. 

WELBECK Children's Books. 2026
Hatchette Children's London

CHICKENS and OTHER DINOSAURS: How Dinosaurs Became the Birds We Know Today, is written by Ben Lerwill and illustrated by Sarah Edmonds. I wasn't aware of either of these creators and enjoyed exploring their websites. Lerwill is a nonfiction researcher and writer who says he writes "clear, readable pieces from in friendly, reliable text", and I agree! Edwards produces art with accuracy but also whimsical humor. Her site is grin-inducing.

Most of us, from preschool to elders, are familiar with the science evidence that linked birds to early evolutionary sources in dinosaurs. Many, if not most, of us, have concluded that the widely known flying dinosaurs, pterodactyls, were the likely great-great-great... originators of birds we see today.

This is where untrained "assumers" have been proven wrong by science investigators. Birds of today, from chickens to hummingbirds to ostriches, appear to be living remnants of the THERAPOD group of dinosaurs. Among those the most well-known is T. Rex, but they include those ancestors with three forward-facing toes, meat-eaters who ran very fast. Oldest fossil records begin about 230 million years ago, but fossil evidence of their smaller, faster, lighter therapod versions begins about 160 million years ago. So, when the author writes,

"When you are looking at a bird, you are looking at a living dinosaur,"

you must keep that time scale in mind. The generational changes that shaped monstrous T. Rex into the sparrow on your feeder are massive, and yet the changes were not simply a side branch on a family tree. That sparrow and all birds share a significantly similar DNA link directly to their theropod origins. 

This incredibly comprehensive and yet child-friendly book incorporates creative sidebar placements with informative illustrations, paleontology and social science evolution debates, along with a thoroughly accurate and exciting explanation of what makes a bird a bird: FEATHERS!

Not necessarily flight, since we know that not all birds fly. But flight certainly did aid in those evolving theropods who could travel to available food sources and habitats, to stay warm as the earth cooled, and to continue theropod survival into present day.

There's a terrific journey through dinosaur history (specifically theropods) including fossil evidence of varied feather-like formations, shifts to smaller, lighter skeletal frames, even evolving hollow bones and hardened beaks with residual teeth and varying arm and claw structures that became wings of one sort or another. Comparisons of fossil-inspired bird-like dinosaurs (none that are pterodactyls) to present day bird species are described in visual contrast and with bite-sized informational text that will stay with readers and bring them back to share facts with others. That's a good thing, because the contents are both detailed and enticing to explore, compare, and then observe in real life. This is a don't-miss nonfiction book for anyone who has ever seen a bird. That would be you, right?

Roaring Brook Press, 2026

While putting titles on hold, or ordering purchases, consider an informational fiction book to pair with the first. THE DINOSAUR AND THE BIRD: A TALE OF PREHISTORIC FRIENDSHIP is written by Richard Ho and illustrated by Jamie Green. Ho's website will reveal the many other appealing books he's written, and Green's website will lead you through an interactive discovery of her own making. This imagined tale about a dinosaur who is not welcomed by others of its species but finds company with a long-billed bird friend. In a modern-day fable of unlikely friendships (think of the lion and the mouse) these tentative, unlikely friends allow a wish to come true-- a wish for a friend. (And yes, some versions of modern birds lived at the same era as the dinosaurs we commonly recognize as such.) 

If this sounds like the end of the story, it would be fiction without the "informational" descriptor. The vibrant and abstractly-rendered backgrounds for each scene offer informational content as well as Disney-like appeal. Then, on a single page turn, the two friends witness a fireball falling from the sky. It is distant. Not an immediate threat. But in a compressed timeline, these two live through the ecological changes that darkened the earth, shifted a previously friendly climate, and reduced available food. 

The actual consequences over years are presented within a few pages about their lives, revealing the efforts and comforts of feathered, flying devotion. Attempts to support a starving, dying friend are tenderly conveyed. The ending suggests both the science underway and the fable at work, with hope and promise. 

Both books contain a wealth of material to think about and discuss, while taking entirely different approaches to their subject matter. Together, they should be in classrooms, libraries, and homes. especially in the hands of anyone of any age who never outgrows a love of dinosaurs, or birds!

BOOKS UP THE MOUNTAIN: A Packhorse Librarian Story

 Let's hear it for LIBRARIANS! (Pause for applause.)

For LIBRARIANS PAST AND PRESENT! (More applause, please.)

For LIBRARIANS matching readers to the materials they want, need, and love! (ROAR of applause!)

(Pause to recover.)

WAXWING BOOKS, 2025

BOOKS UP THE MOUNTAIN: A PACKHORSE LIBRARIAN STORY
is the lyrically told account of an unnamed librarian tagged Book Woman. But Book Woman does not work from a library building. Or a bus. Or even on a road. 

Talented author Caroline Starr Rose brings concise and compelling prose that contributes a lyrical tone to this history. Illustrations by Gabrielle Grimard are slightly stylized but offer the natural colors, familiar figures, and subtle finishes of a landscape from earlier times. The visual narrative reveals the joyful transactions as well as the challenging struggles of Book Woman and her clients. In this case Book Woman represents the many women who took on this important role, had a limited range of printed items to circulate, and adhered to their mission despite serious challenges. 

On sprawling spreads of soft-edged landscapes across changing seasons, Book Woman follows her route through valleys and hollows, around mountain trails and ridges, knocking at doors and windows. Children and adults alike know her schedule and watch for her, welcoming pamphlets, series books, recipes, and news from far beyond their view. Brief but beautiful lines read descriptively but as poetically as a psalm:

"A cluster of clouds crowds the skies.

Streams surge. Waters rise."

Combined with images of gusting willow limbs and a shift of emotion on her face, those lines let readers feel the tension of being isolated far from home, committed to her mission but aware of impending storms. Along the way Book Woman keeps company with the ill and aging, offers suggestions and readings for the young ones, and notates requests, observing needs. On weekends, Book Women gather to exchange inventory, repair books, stitch bindings, and discuss the needs of their mountain readers. They were hired during the depths of The Great Depression and crippling unemployment by the Works Progress Administration to infuse modest income into families in Appalachia while uplifting literacy and community.

This well-researched, lovingly written, and entertaining picture book is a treasure at any time. In our present world, librarians are under siege while information and entertainment access is a click away for kids of any age. This story from history offers an engaging invitation to recognize the value of literature and its delivery. It provides a step back in time with a nod to the dramatic change in circumstances, slowing down the absorption of the story and its impact through the power of poetic pacing and phrasing combined with lush expanses of nature's best views.

If you aren't familiar with other books by Caroline Starr Rose, do yourself a favor and check out her award-winning middle grade titles, verse novels, and picture books.

Some prior posts featuring picture books about extraordinary efforts of  librarians are available HERE, HERE, and HERE, with a link to a PBS documentary on the packhorse librarians HERE.

Time to Think Ahead to Winter- on Winter Solstice Hill

 No complaints, please, about the topic of this review. Ads for Halloween costumes have been showing up in social media reels, back-to-school sales are already fading, and stock-up-for Thanksgiving ads actually showed up this week. Weirdly early, all of the above. 

CHARLESBRIDGE. October, 2026

Yes, the date is correct... AUGUST!
But the book under discussion here is WINTER SOLSTICE HILL, written by Cathy Stefanec Ogren and illustrated by Rebecca Evans. Why now, you ask, when we have yet to reach Fall's equinox? I'll answer that important question at the end of the post.

First, check out this lovely cover. You can see, as I did, that the story has been portrayed visually by a very perceptive and talented illustrator. Rendered in natural tones with soft edges, the scenes throughout have a light-infused effect. Indoor spreads of  the worn-wood floors, hearth fire, and simple furnishings are softly glazed with a glow that offers a "comfort-food" impact. That's true despite the frosted windows and concerned expression on the face of Ella.

The text is fluent and perfectly matched to the welcoming and straightforward life portrayed. Art details include moving boxes to unpack, a baby sibling, and a joyful golden dog, none of which are mentioned in text. Such details flood the spread with multiple examples of both security and change. Readers quickly connect with Ella (tagged by Grandpa as Ella-Bella) on her quest. They will trudge to the top of the hill, Winter Solstice Hill, where Ella's great-grandparent settlers first stood on Winter Solstice to share a wish for the first time. Finally, Ella is old enough to take part in the tradition. 

Readers join the uphill traipse with Ella, Grandpa, dog, and toboggan to search for the perfect tree, then hope to view the first Solstice star at the summit. Ella is on a mission to make an important but unstated wish. 

The spreads immerse readers in the depth of family history and generational connection, supporting text clues that these generations will be sharing that family home on heritage land. Just as we join in the satisfaction of finding a perfect tree, the weather (and tone) shift, adding the tension of impending storms that will block a view of any stars. In fact, arrival at the summit will not be achieved on that solstice night. The resolve from that point forward allows readers to experience Ella's wide emotional range, and to share in the gratifying ending. Will the wish need to wait, or is another approach possible? 

Overall, this generational story allows the specificity of the characters to feel universal, offering the softening effects of a dusting of light snow. The mix of eagerness, anxiety, joy, enthusiasm, disappointment, and excitement invite discussion, as well as recognition that few feelings are singular. The illustrations contribute so much to an already appealing text, magnifying the well-told story and delightful characters.

Now, back to my opening promise to indicate why a book about Winter Solstice matters in August? This goes to the business side of publishing, in which books are in their final phases (preparing to print, ship, distribute, and sell) for several months before the actual release date. It has become a business model to offer presale of those books, which can even drive the number actually printed and sold. It's a measure of interest and appeal, allowing publishers to guard against overproduction. I'll fully admit that I buy fewer books these days, preferring to read library copies when possible. In this case I was provided a digital copy to preview because I wanted to read it and encourage followers here to consider preorders. This is a seasonal celebration of the ways we carry on traditions, share family stories, imagine ourselves in relation to others, and more. With the multi-cultural holidays that center around late December and relate their stories and celebrations to the Earth's shift from dark to light, this book serves as an axis for all those other books. The storytelling, tone, and resolution can be the foundation for endless family and broader holiday stories at that time of year. To assure that you can purchase enough copies for the many people you'll want to gift with this book and to encourage publishers to produce enough to meet demand, please give this one a close look and consider using the preorder option to support it. 

 

RIDE ALONG: Incredibly Fast and Not At All Fun!

 As summer winds down, those who adore roller coasters and theme parks should be getting their roll on while they can. To share that experience (and examine it more closely) a new picture book has released. INCREDIBLY FAST AND NOT AT ALL FUN is the imaginative and marvelous new title from author/illustrator Tadgh Bentley. 

ATHENEUM
BOOKS FOR YOUN G READERS, 2026

The premise of this story is a surprisingly imaginative origin story for the first roller coaster ever. Bear (a big-muzzled beekeeper bear with some serious STEM skills) sets out to solve a problem. The wooded valley between his hilltop home and his hive (located on the other side of the valley) is (over) populated with critters! Bear needs  a quick, undistracted transport system to get from here to there, so to speak. 

Opening AND closing end papers nearly waylaid my efforts to read Bear's determined account while I scrutinized the graphic-design/blueprint style details revealing Bear's intended solution. The design drawings incorporate local terrain, creating a need for rising/falling, twisting, twirling layouts, with practical (and laughable) units of measure in length, labeled "bears". Why not? We measure length in "feet". 

Bear called his device the "Honey Runner". Although steep, and perhaps intimidating, the potential for efficiency outweighed his concerns. And, it worked! But Bear's debut ride was observed by countless woodland eyes, and those critters were curious! They begged to ride along. 

The story unfolds with those eager thrill-seekers clamoring for more exciting rides.  Complicating issues arise. Bear's attempt to simplify his life with an efficient transport system becomes anything but efficient. As you probably imagine by now, more engineering is involved, but that only makes the "Honey Runner" that much more exciting. 

No worries.Clever Bear finds a way to satisfy his thrill-seeking forest neighbors while still pursuing his quiet life. But that last page turn will have readers howling and ready to right a next chapter in Bear's story. 

First, all praise for the main text, which crackles with crisp and comical situations and language. Bear's emotional journey, including frustration and exasperation, will take readers on a ride in itself. And the small details (and I do mean small, including in earliest spreads shown with miniature scene set-ups and signage) will have kids poring over each spread, each little critter's expression, and each transition's potential through repeated readings. 

Bentley is as talented at visuals as he is at storytelling. This oversized book allows for expansive and colorful spreads suggesting nature's sprawling invitation to Bear to make a way through. The forest colors glow with fall foliage, offering a vibrant background for small brown silhouettes, each with bright white eyes. Figures are expressive and soft-edged in contrast to construction elements and detailed plans. 

Those eyes, by the way, deserve their own commentary.

First, I'll admit that manga-like, big-eyed characters in picture books are not my first choice in conveying character or personality. This forest population, though, sports white-eyed, wide-eyed expressions in a variety of angles and attitudes that actually reveal their otherwise limited expressiveness rather than looking endlessly repetitive. The eyes make it clear within dense backgrounds that there are SO MANY of them, as bear seems to be thinking. Yet his heart is tugged to give ride after ride and eventually solve the situation he confronts in those  pleading, begging, eager eyes, always aimed exactly where they must be in order to achieve their intent and to direct readers' attention. 

The overall story is a delight. Creators are often told to find something original, that there are plenty of dog stories, cat stories, bear stories, etc. ... UNLESS you can find something truly original to do with those familiar stars of the show. And this book does exactly that!  It dares to pair a nature/woodland scene with a lovable bear and a lively community of neighbors with a ROLLERCOASTER! A ride with swooshing, gasping speed, with curves and turns and twists that lift off the page could cause shrieks from audiences. It invites reading aloud to giggling groups as well as close scrutiny by chuckling children. 

For sheer fun and entertainment, this can't be beat. If you add to that its potential connections to planning and revision, problem solving, community needs, transportation, SEL, predictions, and more, it earns its place in families, classrooms, libraries, and the hands of anyone, any age, who loves rollercoasters!

Bentley is also the creator of popular early chapter books and easy readers featuring DINO DETECTIVE, LITTLE PENGUIN, and more. Click on the website to take you to an opening page that reveals sketches and image drafts unfolding bit by bit, not unlike Bear's planning sketches on end papers.