Three Birdy Picture Books... and a Partridge in a Pear Tree

 'Tis the season to start counting down days until Christmas. If you are among the many for whom the Twelve Days of Christmas is essential to holiday celebrations, you know that swans-a-swimming, geese-a-laying, calling birds, turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree are annual favorites. HERE's a fun link to learn more about why that is the case in in this centuries-old carol.

For some modern fun with birds, here are three quick takes on picture books featuring birds.

I'll start, as birds do, with THE EGG, created by Geraldo Valerio (Owlkids, 2020) . The collage art is the star of this wordless book. 

With an important theme (families come in all shapes and sizes), this simple story shows a mother bird losing her only egg during a storm. She suffers the loss, then locates and adopts a different, abandoned egg. It quickly hatches into a human baby, but is loved and protected by the doting mother bird. Soon, she sees a wide range of unexpected matches of birds and baby creatures, most of which do NOT hatch from eggs outside the body. 
Even so, some eventual discussions of animal life originating in eggs, in one way or another, could justify this colorful and fun approach to the topic of family compositions. I am expecting as many questions about what happened to the originally lost egg as to the egg-human, since none of the mismatched offspring resemble the featured stork-like bird who is the center of the story. 
The art is likely to inspire young creators, the questions are worthy ones, and the laughs are guaranteed.

Even so, some eventual discussions of animal life originating in eggs, in one way or another, could justify this colorful and fun approach to the topic of family compositions. I am expecting as many questions about what happened to the originally lost egg as to the egg-human, since none of the mismatched offspring resemble the featured stork-like bird who is the center of the story. 
The art is likely to inspire young creators, the questions are worthy ones, and the laughs are guaranteed. 

If you are someone who thinks there are far too many birds in that holiday song, you must meet the gatekeeper bird in TWO MANY BIRDS, created by Cindy Derby (Roaring Book Press, 2020) . When a bossy and controlling VIB (Very Important Bird) restricts access to the ONLY available tree, topping that with arbitrary and rather obnoxious rules, it is entirely predictable that VIB would loudly object to two eggs that hatch. Despite the joy of mother bird and the 99 other birds who had made it into the stark branches of that singular tree, VIB insists that TWO MUST GO!

What happens next is far less predictable, but packed with visual fun and developments that draw on real world nature as well as "human" nature.
There's much here to enjoy, first, and then to spark conversations. Plenty, too, to spark comparisons to real birds and their features, reduced habitats, the power of collective responses, and dealing with demanding personalities. 
These funny "birdbrains" can teach us all a thing or two.

Finally, since few of us will be checking into hotels during this Covid Christmas season, a fun way to peek inside the lives of hotel workers can be found in ELEVATOR BIRD, created by Sarah Williamson (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2020). It's not at all unusual to have animals take on human roles and traits in picture books, but this book "lifts" that approach into unusual territory. With various animals as the workers and guests in a high-rise hotel, the elevator plays a pivotal role. Bird operates that elevator, well-dressed in hat and tue, using a small branch to push the buttons while perched on a corner stool.

Everyone appreciates kind and helpful bird, as readers will, too. Each page provides an opportunity to see the many roles needed to operate a hotel, with various services often well-suited to the particular animals doing that job. The fact that worms carry the luggage continue to crack me up as I type this, as well as subtly inserted wordplay. When Bird is not working hard and helping one and all, its residence is in the lower level, the dark basement of the hotel. Mousey overhears casual wish to have a view of the city and see the night sky after a day of work, which launches a chain reaction of kindness. 
Truly, this is appealing on the most basic level: animals, colors, action-filled and labeled pages, and simple text. Beyond that, it opens discussion about work-families, service employees, and the value of empathy and friendship.

All three creators are author/illustrators and bring lively images to the page with visual humor that will have little audiences returning again and again. Depending on where you live, winter weather  may or may not entice you to dine outdoors or pursue biking, hiking, and other lengthy excursions, ones that might change your home-bound view without risking viral exposure, the way indoor events can. It's a fun time of year, though, to ramp up birdwatching. For the hardy hangers on or the southern migrators, providing bird feeders, taking short walks, lending an eye and ear to unusual arrivals in your area can laugh a lifetime hobby. We can expect our confinements to continue well into the new year, so those who are hooked may be interested in checking out the annual Audobon Bird Census. You can participate from your own back yard, for as little as fifteen minutes, and the whole family can join in the fun. Check it out!