Tag: birds

Two Birds on a Wire by Coral Vass ill Heidi Cooper Smith

Little Bird Blue

Was out for the day

She perched on a wire

And decided to stay

‘What a fine place

To settle,’ said Blue

Ruffling her feathers

Enjoying the view

Two Birds on a WireLittle Bird Blue

Was out for the day

She perched on a wire

And decided to stay

‘What a fine place

To settle,’ said Blue

Ruffling her feathers

Enjoying the view

Little Bird Blue finds a fine wire to settle on and decides it’s a good place to stop. Little Bird Black also thinks the wire is the perfect spot to rest. But Little Bird Blue wants the whole view and Little Bird Black is blocking her view. So begins a battle, first of words then more as each asserts their greater claim to sole occupation of the wire. It’s not until the escalation of tensions has exhausted them both that they decide to compromise and share the perch. Illustrations are watercolour and pencil and depict an idyllic country scene, which is disturbed by the duelling birds!

Two Birds on a Wire is a rhyming story about compromise and sharing. Any parent will be familiar with the escalation that can happen with siblings or friends when they feel they ‘own’ something, be it place or thing. The rhyming text keep the tone light, and young readers will be on the side of reasonableness as they watch the two birds compete. Final pages show the pair becoming friends and sharing the wire, more than big enough for them both. Recommended for pre- and early-schoolers.

Two Birds on a Wire, Coral Vass ill Heidi Cooper Smith
Koala Books Scholastic 2015
ISBN: 9781742761619

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com

Magpie Learns a Lesson, by Sally Morgan & Ezekiel Kwaymullina, illustrated by Tania Erzinger

Secretly Magpie felt jealous of her friend.
He could soar to great heights.
He could drop from the sky like a stone.
He could see over a long distance.
Magpie decided to play a trick on him.

Magpie can sing beautifully, but she is jealous of her gentle, kind friend Brown Falcon, for his hunting and flying skills. So she plays a series of mean tricks on him to make him look silly. AT first Falcon tries not to mind, but eventually he gets cross and flies away. When Magpie gets caught in a hunter’s nest she realises, almost too late, the value of Falcon’s friendship.

Magpie Learns a Lesson is a charming lesson about friendship and, in a story with echoes of The Boy Who Cried Wolf, the importance of being honest. The story is brought to life in beautiful acrylic paintings, with the oil sketch paper adding . texture. Rich blue skies alternate with creamy backgrounds and eucalypt greens for the ground and tress scenes, giving a generous echoes of the Australian bush.

A wonderfully Australian title.

Magpie Learns a Lesson, by Sally Morgan & Ezekiel Kwaymullina, illustrated by Tania Erzinger
Omnibus Books, 2015
ISBN 9781742990590

Available from good bookstores or online.

Our Nest is Best

Before Rocky and Ruby Robin make their own nest ready for their eggs, they decide to check out the nests of other birds to get ideas for their own. But Owl’s nest seems too big, Fairy-wren’s too small and Greb’s nest too soggy

‘It’s spring,’ said Ruby Robin. ‘Time to build our nest.’
‘Yes,’ said Rocky. ‘But what kind is best?’
“Let’s visit the other birds and find out.’

Before Rocky and Ruby Robin make their own nest ready for their eggs, they decide to check out the nests of other birds to get ideas for their own. But Owl’s nest seems too big, Fairy-wren’s too small and Greb’s nest too soggy. Finally the robins realise they need to make their nest their own way – with bark, grass and moss, lined with fur and feathers. They both agree that their nest is perfect for them – even though it wouldn’t be perfect for the other birds.

Our Nest is Best! is an educational board book which will entertain as it informs about different types of birds, their environments and, of course, their nests. Very young readers will enjoy the bird illustrations, all of which come from the National Library’s collection, while older readers will be interested in the facts which are presented through the use of a fictionalised story.

In sturdy board book format, Our Nest is Best! is suitable for children from birth up to school age.

Our Nest is Best!

Our Nest is Best! by Penny Olsen with Penny O’Hara
NLA Publishing, 2012
ISBN 9780642277374

This book is available through good bookstores or online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

Bird, by Annette Lodge

I once met a bird, who stared out to sea
As strange and as still as a bird could be.
I sat down beside him and asked him why.
Shortly he answered, “Because I can’t fly.”

Bird, it turns out, is afraid of the sky and afraid that his strange shape will render him unable to fly. The boy who meets him realises he can’t criticise Bird because he too has been afraid to change and to try new challenges.

It is a fish who eventually helps the pair, enticing them both in to the water. Caught up in the joy of their swim, both bird and boy realise that they can take risks and be happy.

Bird is an invigourating tale, told in whimsical rhyme and perfectly complemented by the watercolour illustrations. The pages are filled with vibrant purples, greens and oranges and with delightfully odd fish, birds and other creatures.

While the story may be aimed at older readers, children of all ages will be fascinated by the illustrations, which eclipse the story. The message of the story is, however, an important one and this would be well-suited to middle and even upper primary classrooms.

Lovely.

Bird, by Annette Lodge
ABC Books, 2004