If you’re reading this, you’re probably already a birdwatcher. But what got you started? Do you remember wondering what made a certain sound or where a feather came from, or noticing a bird behaving in a particular way?
With the Great Backyard Bird Count coming up, there’s no better time for youngsters to begin thinking about where and how to find birds and make a list for Presidents’ Weekend. In How to Find a Bird, Jennifer Ward offers a great starting point with her suggestions for how to begin (“…you’ll want to blend in. And move slowly. Quiet is good too.”) and where to look (“Don’t just look up to find a bird. Look down, low to the ground…”).
Diana Sudyka’s illustrations are stylized, energetic, and simple enough to spark recognition or give a child something to remember, with plenty of humor thrown in. Together, they draw young readers along, introducing differences in feeding, camouflage, and sounds. Each bird illustrated is …
In the pandemic’s period of restricted activities, watching birds from a window, in the yard or on a neighborhood walk can be an exciting way for children to discover a new world. This is a book for the story circle or the child in your lap, or for an older sibling to read to a younger one. And once the doors are opened again, they’ll be ready for wider exploration and discovery.
A good companion for somewhat older siblings is Pamela Hickman’s Nature All Around: Birds. Like Ward’s book, this one is in picture book format, with multiple impressionistic but identifiable illustrations by Carolyn Gavin on each page, blocks of text, and plenty of white space. Its thirty-two pages pack in a surprising amount of detailed information about the parts, life cycles, habitats, and survival tactics of a wide variety of birds.
Together, these two books provide a perfect starting point for young birders – and, for parents or caregivers, helpful answers to some of the many questions that will arise once they’re outdoors.
SFBBO member Dudley Carlson, a biologist’s daughter, grew up in a family of birders and was Manager of Youth Services at Princeton (NJ) Public Library for 25 years. She believes that if children enjoy learning about birds and understand how important they are to our environment, then birds, nature and people will have a better chance at a healthy future. You can see all of Dudley’s book recommendations here.