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-- School Library Journal, 4/30/2008 11:54:00 AM
It’s springtime, and birdsong is returning to backyards, fields, and rooftops everywhere. Take advantage of nature’s classroom—the National Audubon Society has some great ideas for indoor and outdoor programs. For a cool online audio experience, visit the Birdsong Links site to hear birds from around the world. Whether of the barnyard or wild variety, the feathered friends in these titles will certainly catch the attention of young listeners and readers.
KELLEY, Ellen A. My Life as a Chicken. illus. by Michael Slack. Harcourt. 2007. RTE $16. ISBN 978-0-15-205306-2.
K-Gr 3–Life on the egg farm is boring and methodical and looking increasingly dangerous, so Pauline Poulet decides to run away. The outside world is fraught with hazards, but she always manages to slip free at the last minute. A fall from a hot air balloon lands Pauline in the loving arms of a petting zoo proprietor–what luck!
LIONNI, Leo. Inch by Inch. illus. by author. HarperTrophy. 1995. pap. $6.99. ISBN 978-0-688-13283-5.
PreS-Gr 2–A clever inchworm escapes being a snack by offering to measure a robin’s tail. Delighted, the robin takes the inchworm to measure a flamingo’s neck, a toucan’s beak, and other bird anatomy. When a nightingale tells the inchworm to measure its song, it quickly devises a way to honor the bird’s request while ensuring its own survival.
NAPOLI, Donna Jo. Albert. illus. by Jim LaMarche. Harcourt. 2001. Tr $17. ISBN 978-0-15-201572-5; pap. $7. ISBN 978-0-15-205249-2.
PreS-Gr 3–Albert is wary of the bad sounds outside his apartment, so he spends his days and nights inside. One day, while reaching outside his window for one of his daily checks on the outside world, two cardinals build a nest in his hand, and he must keep his arm aloft until the eggs hatch. When the chicks go off to explore the world, so does he. LaMarche’s colored pencil illustrations are captivating.
TAFURI, Nancy. Whose Chick Are You? illus. by author. HarperCollins/Greenwillow. 2007. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-082514-0; PLB $17.89. ISBN 978-0-06-082515-7.
PreS-Gr 1–Little ones will love the guessing-game aspect of this title, which opens with two swans leaving their nest just as the day begins. Every bird family in the neighborhood stops by to check out the lone egg in the nest, asking in their own way, “Whose egg is this?” Adult and baby birds are depicted, showing readers just how different children can look from their parents. The swans return to claim their chick, assuring a happy ending. Tafuri hits the mark with her gentle brush pen and watercolor illustrations.
Remarkable Reads are produced by the editors at NoveList, the leader in readers' advisory electronic resources. For more information, visit NoveList.
