Bird picture book recommendations are by Angela Ferraris, The Retired School Librarian.
(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. The Retired School Librarian is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. Bird picture books can be found on my Amazon Storefront under Bird Picture Books–https://amzn.to/46aOOHU).)
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
Fly Like a Bird (Spectacular STEAM for Curious Readers (SSCR))
by Olga Ptashnik (Author)
Summary: This nonfiction picture book follows a baby chickadee as it prepares to fly, but is unsure how. Through a question-and-answer story, an adult chickadee explains all of the ways different birds fly, like penguins flying under the water, hummingbirds’ rapid wings buzzing, and starlings flying in murmuration.
Comments: The black ink is the voice of the young chickadee, while the blue ink is that of the adult chickadee, making a fun narrative text for readers to read aloud with one another.
The back has a “More About the Birds” section with brief information about the birds discussed in the story.
The illustrations were created digitally.
Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
*I received a free copy of this book.
The Birds of Christmas
by Olivia Armstrong (Author), Mira Miroslavova (Illustrator)
Summary: Raven was flying home during a December night when a bright star shone down announcing that a child, the Prince of Peace, had been born and to tell all of the other birds.
Each bird contributes a gift to the child, except for one bird that thought she had nothing to contribute.
Readers will learn how the robin gets a red chest.
Comments: This is based on a European Folktale.
The illustrations were created with graphite pencils and colored digitally.
This is truly a lovely Christmas folktale about the gifts given to a baby by the birds. In return, Mary offers the robin a special gift, which is also given to the bird’s future children: a red breast that symbolizes a kind heart.
Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
*I received a free copy of this book.
Bird Girl: Gene Stratton-Porter Shares Her Love of Nature with the World
by Jill Esbaum (Author), Rebecca Gibbon (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Geneva Grace loved the birds on their family farm and visited their 64 nests of various birds to watch them. Her father retired moving the family to a town where the girl found little joy. She married and moved back to the country, where she began writing about the birds in her area, learning to use a camera to take hundreds of photos in Limberlost Swamp.
Her books became so popular in 1924 that ten million copies were sold, and some were made into movies.
Her beloved Limberlost Swamp was being harvested, bulldozed, and drilled for gas, disrupting and killing the wildlife.
In the 1990s, decades after her death, Indiana conservation groups, inspired by her life and books, began buying up the land that once was Limberlost Swamp to bring back some of the wildlife.
Comments: The back sections include Author’s Note, More About Gene Stratton-Porter, and Bibliography.
The illustrations were created with acrylic ink and colored pencils.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Clever Crow
by Chris Butterworth (Author), Olivia Lomenech Gill (Illustrator)
Brief summary: This nonfiction picture book teaches us about a crow’s intelligence, habitat, and how many different types there are of this amazing species.
Comments: This book is illustrated with mixed media and written in verse.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Fly: A Family Guide to Birds and How to Spot Them (In Our Nature)
by David Lindo (Author), Sara Boccaccini Meadows (Illustrator)
Brief summary: This nonfiction picture book contains details and facts using text boxes and labels. The fonts and sizes are varied to emphasize bird facts and main ideas.
Comments: The book is superbly illustrated with watercolors and gouache paints. Each bird is portrayed in great detail, showcasing its vibrant colors and unique markings. I enjoyed examining the details and interesting facts about the birds. It is very well done and a must for any library.
Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗
For more details or to buy, click on this book’s page on Amazon.
Free Bird: Flaco the Owl’s Dreams Take Flight
by Christine Mott (Author), Ofra Layla Isler (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Flaco, a Eurasian Eagle Owl, lived in a zoo in New York and dreamed of flying in the sky. One day, an opportunity to escape presented itself. Flaco learned about the city’s food sources, made new friends, and experienced the joys of living a life of freedom.
Comments: Details about owls can be found at the end of the book.
Flaco has passed away, but there are only gentle references to his departure that would not upset a child. An illustration shows him with a golden halo over his head, conveying that “his spirit is still flying free.”
Half of the proceeds from this book will be donated to the Wild Bird Fund.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
*I received a free copy of this book.
Grandpa and the Kingfisher
by Anna Wilson (Author), Sarah Massini (Illustrator)
Brief summary: A young boy and his grandpa visit the river in the spring and discover a kingfisher diving in the water to catch a fish. They come back in the summer to find two kingfishers building a nest.
The boy and his grandfather keep coming to the river over the seasons, watching the birds’ life cycle.
The boy asks questions about the birds while the man answers, paralleling his life.
Comments: This story does talk about death and how nature continues but gently and matter-of-factly so that children can understand.
Wonderful watercolor illustrations.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Kozo the Sparrow
by Allen Say (Author, Illustrator)
Brief summary: A young Allen Say trades all of his treasures to save a sparrow hatchling from the hands of bullies. He takes it home and nurses it to adulthood, bonding with his bird, Kozo(Little Boy).
Allen takes the bird to school to share with his classmates. Will the bullies capture the sparrow again?
Comments: This is the true story of Allen Say and the bird he raised and loved while living in Japan as a child at age eight.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Lucky Duck
by Greg Pizzoli (Author)
Brief summary: Susan the Duck starts her day receiving roller skates two sizes too big and continues with many other unlucky occurrences throughout the day.
Susan answers the door to a wolf, who claims she has won a big pot. She began to feel lucky to win all of the vegetables the wolf kept bringing throughout the day.
Susan soon realizes her bad luck was lucky and her good luck was unlucky.
Comments: This is a humorous story that young readers will enjoy as it unravels and would make for a fun read-aloud.
The illustrations are drawn with pencil, brush, and Photoshop.
Rating: 4/5 –📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
To See an Owl
by Matthew Cordell (Author)
Summary: Janie wants to see an owl and looks where she will find one but does not until she takes a wintry walk with her mother.
Comments: A beautifully calming read-aloud for bedtime or a unit on nocturnal animals. I loved how the teacher shared his passion of birdwatching, encouraging her hobby.
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
The selected children’s books are chosen by a certified, retired elementary school librarian who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.
Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.