The Horn Book Guide

PICTURE BOOKS

Gray, Rita

Have You Heard the Nesting Bird?

32 pp. | Houghton | March, 2013 | Trade ISBN 978-0-544-10580-5 $16.99

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Kenard Pak. Backyard bird songs are highlighted in onomatopoetic ("chiddik, chiddik"; "caw! caw!") rhyming text. The star of the gently repetitive story, though, is the brooding robin. She makes no sound that might draw predators to her nest while incubating eggs. Spare illustrations depict various bird species, and two inquisitive children are observers throughout. Appended questions are addressed to the robin, who answers in the first person.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo