“Everyone likes birds. What wild creature is more accessible to our eyes and ears, as close to us and everyone in the world, as universal as a bird?” Nature historian David Attenborough
As we spend time away from each other waiting for the viral curve to flatten, many of us are spending more time outdoors. In my neighborhood there are other walkers and cyclists every time I head out. While I know to stay 6 feet away, the mornings have become a time for neighborly chats. But also, being outdoors has made me more aware of my surroundings. The other day I saw an eagle right around the corner from my house (you can see it in the upper right of the picture above). That had me thinking about birds in general.
These books about birds will help you and your family feel you can soar freely above the unsettling world.
Saving Jemima: Life and Love with a Hard-Luck Jay by Julie Zickefoose When Jemima, a young orphaned blue jay, is brought to wildlife rehabilitator Julie Zickefoose, she is a virtually tailless, palm-sized bundle of gray-blue fluff. But she is starved and very sick. Julie’s constant care brings her around, and as Jemima is raised for eventual release, she takes over the house and the rest of the author's summer. Emotional and honest, Saving Jemima is a universal story of the communion between a wild creature and the human chosen to raise it.
Not just adults need to feel the need to soar, children too could use some birdly ability.
Fly by Mark Teague is a silly wordless picture book that will keep young readers giggling as Baby bird figures out that he must flap his wings and learn to fly—whether he likes it or not! Mama bird thinks Baby bird is finally ready to leave the nest and learn to fly so he can migrate south with the rest of their flock. But Baby bird isn’t so sure. Can’t his mother keep bringing him worms in their nest? Can’t he migrate in a hot air balloon instead? Or perhaps a car?
The Big Book of Birds by Yuval Zommer introduces young children to some of the most colorful, magnificent, silly, and surprising feathered creatures from around the world. The book draws in children and parents alike with captivating information about and charming illustrations of hummingbirds, peacocks, flamingos, bald eagles, secretary birds, puffins, red-crowned cranes, and more. The book also invites young bird-watchers to protect birds where they live and make their gardens bird-friendly. The text is chatty, funny, and full of remarkable facts.
Here's to feeling free as a bird!
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