Written by Scott Weidensaul, Paintings by Nancy Lane
This is a children’s book that tells the tale of bird migration from South America to Northern Canada through the journey of a Yellow Warbler. I love this, because a Yellow Warbler was one of the first warblers I was able to see “in the wild” in the bushes and trees around my home, and is absolutely the first that I could identify by its song! So this book is near and dear to my heart.
A little Yellow Warbler starts her day in the jungles of South America. She feels different this day, and has the urge to eat and eat and eat. A young girl collecting coffee beans spots the Yellow Warbler flying through the trees.1
The Yellow Warbler flies for weeks, all day and all night, catching north winds to carry over the Gulf of Mexico. She is joined by thousands of other birds all heading north. To find rest, she needs the cool shade of lush trees.2
The Yellow Warbler flies over spruce fir trees, on and on, until the trees become fewer and fewer. Until she reaches the tundra. Here, finally, she has reached her summer home where she will find a mate and raise her chicks.
The book wraps up with a list of easy ways for everyone to help Warblers and other migrating birds, some of which just happen to be included in the footnotes below. Two more that I am particularly passionate about: apply bird-safe anti-collision stickers to your windows and keep your cats indoors!!! Anyway, back to the book. If you want a book that is going to make your child fall in love with birds, this one is a good bet!
I was provided with an advanced Proof copy of this delightful book, so no photos are attached. This is particularly unfortunate because the book is resplendent with breathtaking oil paintings by fine artist Nancy Lane. See how for yourself: the paintings from the book are posted on her website!
1 Buy certified shade-grown coffee. Traditional shade coffee farms are a favourite habitat for migrant bird, but these farms are being destroyed to raise cheaper, high-yield sun-grown coffee. Look for the Bird Friendly certification bestowed by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center.
2 Plant native trees and fruit-bearing bushes of varying heights and sized in your yard. Birds like to rest within the safety of trees and shrubs, and if you have bird feeders, you will attract more birds when you provide a variety of native plants as well.