birds

Fly

Sophie Rosen

Lindo, David. Fly. New York: Magic Cat Publishing, 2024.
Some books are ideal for browsing, perfect for paging through when you have a little bit of time and a little bit of space in your memory to learn something new. In this over-sized picture book, birds are divided into 15 categories including “fabulous feathers,” “fantastic feet,” “wonderful wings,” “amazing migrations,” and “the open ocean.” Each category contains four pages of interesting facts accompanied by Sara Boccaccini Meadows’s colourful watercolour and gouache illustrations. Recommended for bird lovers and information-gatherers 9 to 12 years old. 

More books to expand general knowledge

Writing about a browsing book

Candle Island

Sophie Rosen , , , ,

Wolk, Lauren. Candle Island. New York: Dutton Children’s Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House, 2025.
Set on a small island off the coast of Maine, this story of a mother and daughter holds surprises for the characters themselves and for readers. Journalists keep badgering Lucy’s mother – a famous artist – for interviews but the two of them want to be left alone to grieve the death of Lucy’s father. How do you survive in a world of strangers? When is it safe to show people who you really are? How do you protect your own boundaries while still letting others into your heart? This 340-page novel is recommended for thoughtful readers 11 to 15 years old. 

Another novel by Lauren Wolk

More stories of characters unlike their peers

More stories of moving to a new home

More stories of bullies

More stories of grief

More stories set in Maine

Goldfinches

Sophie Rosen , ,

Oliver, Mary. Goldfinches. New York: Viking, 2026.
A poem to greet spring by the life-giving American writer, Mary Oliver. Exquisitely illustrated by Melissa Sweet, whose delicate artwork and scientific details carry readers into a new realm of wonder. Accompanied by a lengthy afterword, this picture book is most highly recommended for everyone – 9 to 90 years old – who loves nature.

“Have you ever been so happy in your life?”

“One more thing I want to mention before the pages actually begin. Writing poems, for me but not necessarily for others, is a way of offering praise to the world.” from Long Life: Essays and Other Writing (Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press, 2004)

More poems turned into picture books

Poems to read and memorize

Write your own poems

Clara and the Birds

Sophie Rosen , ,

Simpson, Emma. Clara and the Birds. Varennes, QC: Milky Way Picture Books, 2024.
Where do you feel you belong? Where are you happy? In this gentle picture book, a little girl enjoys watching birds but finds people more difficult. Other children describe her as shy, but she feels lonely. Until one day when she rescues a small bird in the forest and life changes. Clara might still be shy sometimes, but she can also be brave enough to make friends. A quietly sweet story to share with kids five to eight years old.

More stories of solitude

Another story about overcoming loneliness

The Most Perfect Thing in the Universe

Sophie Rosen , ,

Springstubb, Tricia. The Most Perfect Thing in the Universe. New York: Margaret Ferguson Books/Holiday House, 2021.
Eleven-year-old Loah Londonderry is left with elderly caretakers when her mother goes on an Arctic research expedition to study a rare species of bird. While Loah enjoys being at home, she desperately misses her mother and counts down the days until her return. Only her mother doesn’t return. She goes missing. It is up to Loah to sound the alarm. This pitch-perfect novel of friendship and courage is highly recommended for readers 10 to 14 years old.
P.S. Always check out novels published by Margaret Ferguson Books. They are invariably beautifully written stories full of adventure and grace.

“Expeditions come in every size and shape. You can be an explorer without ever leaving home.” (p. 172)

More stories of adventure

More stories of strong female characters

More stories of friendship

The Triumphant Tale of the House Sparrow

Sophie Rosen ,

Thornhill, Jan. The Triumphant Tale of the House Sparrow. Toronto: Groundwood Books/House of Anansi Press, 2018.
For over 100 years, little brown house sparrows have been at home here in British Columbia. They enjoy living near people, near a steady supply of food. So it is not surprising that over 10,000 years ago, when people started settling down and growing grain in the Middle East, sparrows started settling down, too, making their homes inside human dwellings. As human settlements spread, the house sparrow travelled along until now it can be found almost all around the world.
Jan Thornhill, acclaimed Canadian author and illustrator, tells the story of this lowly bird in a fascinating and exquisite picture book accompanied by a world map, a life cycle chart, a glossary, a list of other wild animals that live near people, and a list of related websites. Too detailed to be a read-aloud but highly recommended for curious readers – 11 years old and up – as a book to not only borrow but buy!

More sophisticated picture books for older readers

More books about the world of animals

More books by Canadians

A fable…

Sophie Rosen , , , ,

“Pride and foolishness often roost on the same branch.”

Moniz, Michael. The Cardinal and the Crow. Vancouver, B.C.: Simply Read Books, 2014.
Lonely old Crow is constantly mocked for his appearance, especially by young Cardinal. When Cardinal is caught by a cat, though, it is Crow who rescues him through trickery. Inspired by an Aesop’s fable, this picture book with gently evocative illustrations will appeal to readers 5 to 14 years old. 

More fables

“Persuasion is often more effectual than force.”

“Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.”

“It is not only fine feathers that make fine birds.”