No other animal, but birds have feathers. The plumage functions in protecting a bird’s skin, helping it to fly, providing camouflage, and even helping it slide or walk across the snow. Books about birds can teach kids amazing facts about the world of nature, and they can also make them laugh. From a lost chicken in the city to a pigeon who really needs a bath, following titles will be a feather in your cap. Be an early bird and get these works into your schools and libraries.
G
RAY, Rita. Have You Heard the Nesting Bird? illus. by Kenard Pak. Houghton Harcourt. 2014. ISBN 9780544105805. JLG Level: K : Kindergarten (Grades PreK–K).
Blue jay’s shriek is a sharp as a drill.
jay! jay! jay! jay!
Whip-poor-will has his favorite trill.
whip-poor-will whip-poor-will
With rhyme and sound, birds come to life just in time for spring. What birds are in your backyard? Have you heard the nesting bird?
Perfect for storytime, Gray’s beautifully illustrated nonfiction picture book features many birds your young readers will recognize. A “Word with the Bird” answers questions that may hatch after sharing the story. Reading his website, you’ll learn that Illustrator Kenard Pak has worked for Dreamworks and Walt Disney. Follow him on Twitter. For interviews with the author and illustrator, visit the publisher’s blog. For information on birds, see The Cornell Lab of Ornithology or The Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association. The direct link to the title’s resources can be found here.
STEWART, Melissa. Feathers: Not Just for Flying. Illus. by Sarah S. Brannen. Charlesbridge. 2014. ISBN 9781580894302. JLG Level: NEK : Nonfiction Early Elementary (Grades K–2).
Like a carefully constructed scrapbook, Feathers: Not Just for Flying is a treat for the brain and the eyes. Did you know that a male club-winged manakin raises his wings over his back? Then he makes a high trill sound to attract a mate? A willow ptarmigan grows extra feathers on the top of his toes in the fall. They act like snowshoes when it shuffles across the snow. Want to start your own nature album? Brannen’s watercolor illustrations are a perfect model.
The author is passionate about science and research. Her website is even called Melissa Stewart’s Science Clubhouse. Separate pages for teachers, librarians, and kids bring science to life and provide numerous resources from Common Core to reader’s theater. The illustrator’s website includes her biography and figure skating; she is also an ice skating photographer and columnist. You can follow Stewart and Brannen on Twitter. On the publisher’s website, you’ll find links to lesson plans. If kids want to know more about birdwatching, check out BirdWatching Magazine (which inspired the author), participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count, or watch a video of the manakin doing his courtship dance. The JLG Booktalks to Go LiveBinder includes these and additional resources.
WALKER, Anna. Peggy: A Brave Chicken on a Big Adventure. Clarion. 2014. ISBN 9780544259003. JLG Level: PK : Pre-Kindergarten (Grades PreS-PreK).
Every day was pretty much the same for a chicken named Peggy. She eats breakfast, plays in her yard, and watches the pigeons. Then one day a blustery wind picks her up and plops her in the big city. Rather than let it ruffle her feathers, Peggy decides to make the most of this unexpected event. It’s time for a brave chicken to have a big adventure.
Introduce the picture book by showing an animated book trailer. Listen to the Australian author/illustrator read from the book. Classroom activities can be found on the Primary English Teaching Association of Australia website. Walker’s website shows a picture of the inspirational chicken and sketches of her work. You can also follow her on Twitter.
WILLEMS, Mo. The Pigeon Needs a Bath. Disney/Hyperion. 2014. ISBN 9781423190875. JLG Level: K : Kindergarten (Grades PreK–K)
The pigeon is back, but he is filthy! He’s sure he doesn’t need a bath. After all, he took one last month―or at least he thinks so. Full of lots of excuses, our fine feathered friend does his argumentative best at trying to avoid the inevitable. The outcome surprises even the pigeon.
Fans of Willems’s work will be delighted to watch the book trailer in which Mo draws the dirty pigeon. Educators and students will find resources, games, activities on the author/illustrator site and on the Pigeon’s own site. You Tube hosts many videos related to this series, as well as his others. There are also great activity and party ideas on a Pinterest board. Follow the Pigeon on Twitter and find out what he’s up to. Additional resources can be found in the JLG Booktalks to Go LiveBinder.
Additional Resources
In an effort to organize these links, I have created a LiveBinder. All websites will be posted within the LiveBinder, along with the accompanying booktalk. As I write more columns, more books and their resources will be added. Simply go to JLG Booktalks to Go where you will see LiveBinder main tabs. Each tab is a book title. Under each color-coded tab are gray subtabs with links to media, websites, and other related documents. Everything you need to teach or share brand new, hot-off-the-press books is now all in one place. Please visit JLG’s new LiveBinder, JLG Booktalks to Go.
For library resources, tips, and ideas, please visit JLG’s Shelf Life Blog.
Junior Library Guild (JLG) is a collection development service that helps school and public libraries acquire the best new children’s and young adult books. Season after season, year after year, Junior Library Guild book selections go on to win awards, collect starred or favorable reviews, and earn industry honors. Visit us at www.JuniorLibraryGuild.com. (NOTE: JLG is owned by Media Source, Inc., SLJ’s parent company.)