Birds

by Carme Lemniscates, Carme Lemniscates (Illustrator)

Overview

Brilliant graphic illustrations and a gentle, thought-provoking text pay homage to birds and their wonder-inspiring ways.

Birds are like thoughts.
They come, stay awhile . . .
and then fly away.

Birds come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. They like to chat with one another as they fly high and low in the sky. Birds make music, with songs that are like the loving words of a friend, and we are lucky enough to enjoy those sweet melodies. But best of all, birds are capable of flying wherever they please — they just let their hearts guide them. And we can do that, too, if we use our imaginations. In a lyrical ode to our winged friends, the creator of Trees turns her eye to a diverse class of creatures that has much to teach about transcending the barriers that lie between us.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781536201789
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	03/12/2019
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	642,820
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	2 - 5 Years

About the Author

Carme Lemniscates is an author-illustrator who creates children’s books and storybook apps. Based in Barcelona, she is particularly interested in books that encourage creative thinking and curiosity about subjects such as nature, the environment, friendship, adoption, fear, and self-acceptance.

Editorial Reviews

Vibrant digital illustrations, reminiscent at times of watercolors, show many different birds—birds of all shapes, sizes, and colors, compared in their natural habitats and in flight...Birds are presented as metaphor and inspiration as well as physical beings; the last spread show the young protagonist riding on a goose, high up in the sky, surrounded by different birds. "They make our imaginations soar."
—Kirkus Reviews

Line drawings in blue and black highlight some special feathers on the white endpapers of this beautiful picture book...Let your heart soar with the music and freedom of your imagination, as the birds do.
—Booklist

This introduction will inspire young readers to open their ears and eyes to the beauty and diversity of birds...Even the youngest audience will appreciate this celebration of our fine feathered friends.
—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

03/01/2019

PreS-Gr 3—This introduction will inspire young readers to open their ears and eyes to the beauty and diversity of birds. The first half of the book highlights their differences with simple comparisons and contrasts. "Some like to show off, while others would rather watch." This spread features a flamboyant peacock on the recto and two wide-eyed owls perched on a branch on the verso. Size, song, homes, and migratory habits are also mentioned. The second half of the text highlights how people observe and appreciate birds. "A bird's song is like the loving words of a friend… Birds are free. They make our imaginations soar." Crisp, bold mixed-media illustrations on a white background enhance readers' understanding of the text. A huge, fierce eagle flies high above a bird's-eye view of the fields below while a tiny blue hummingbird sips nectar from a luscious pink cherry blossom. The endpapers are adorned with myriad feathers. Pair with Kevin Henkes's Birds or Lizzy Rockwell's A Bird Is a Bird for a soaring storytime. VERDICT Even the youngest audience will appreciate this celebration of our fine feathered friends.—Barbara Auerbach, Cairo Public Library, NY

School Library Journal

2019-01-15

The author/illustrator of Trees (2017) presents another broadly titled work, similar in illustration and feel.

Vibrant digital illustrations, reminiscent at times of watercolors, show many different birds—birds of all shapes, sizes, and colors, compared in their natural habitats and in flight. The presumed narrator is a brown-skinned, dark-haired young child, walking and bicycling around outdoors, observing birds, and spending time with a pale-skinned friend. Many different birds are presented in this book—a peacock, geese, an eagle, a hummingbird, macaws, owls, and more—but none are identified in any way. The text, an abstract homage, is gentle and spare, but it often feels disjointed and may not mesh with the developmental level of the young readers likely to be attracted to it: "A bird's song is like the loving words of a friend. // A happy song that greets us every morning. // And our hearts sing, too, because birds are like good news coming. // Or messages of peace." Birds are presented as metaphor and inspiration as well as physical beings; the last spread show the young protagonist riding on a goose, high up in the sky, surrounded by different birds. "They make our imaginations soar." Endpapers are filled with individual feathers of different birds.

This book of birds tries to take off but doesn't fully fly. (Picture book. 3-5)

Kirkus Reviews