Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
---|---|---|
Searching... Salem Main Library | JP Wellington | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Newberg Public Library | ANIMALS WELLINGTON | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Woodburn Public Library | Wellington | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
Riki admires the beautiful birds that visit his yard. So he decides to build his feathered friends a home. Follow along as he measures and saws the wood, then glues, hammers, and paints his birdhouse. When spring comes, bluebirds move in. Soon there are eggs and babies! As the seasons change, the bird-watcher fi nds joy in admiring, helping, and learning about his avian friends. Monica Wellington's bright, beautifully detailed artwork and simple text are the perfect introduction to the fun of backyard bird-watching.
Author Notes
Monica Wellington lives in New York City, where she teaches children's book illustration at the School of Visual Arts.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Riki wants some new bluebirds to stay in his yard, and so he builds a birdhouse just for them. On each spread, a page of narrative surrounded by small pictures of related common objects faces a full-page illustration that shows Riki working on his project. The artwork, gouache on paper with photographic collage details, is simple and appropriate for young naturalists, though the collage elements do not stand out among other objects on a page. Pictured on one corner of each spread is Riki's notebook, where he records his diary-style entries. The book concludes with instructions for building a birdhouse and installing it; while addressed to children, they are clearly intended for an adult audience. Combine this story with Gail Gibbons's Tool Book (Holiday House, 1982) and Priscilla Belz Jenkins's A Nest Full of Eggs (HarperCollins, 1995) and get ready for spring.-Lisa Egly Lehmuller, St. Patrick's Catholic School, Charlotte, NC Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.
Horn Book Review
Throughout the year, young Riki enjoys watching birds. He constructs a birdhouse, prepares special feed, assists with nest building, and tends to sunflower plants ("the birds love them and he does too"). Gouache illustrations enhanced with color copies of photographs include borders that incorporate facts and pictures. Appended resources include birdhouse building and installation plans and a "Bird Food Cupcakes" recipe. Websites. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Riki's passion for birds is evident, and likely to be contagious, in Wellington's latest. The precocious child is a diligent bird watcher who does all he can to attract and keep birds in his yard through all the seasonsfrom building a bluebird house and making his own bird food to putting out nest-building materials and growing sunflowersall without adult supervision. The bold colors, simple shapes and clean lines of the gouache illustrations are in sharp contrast to the details found in the photographic elements cut out and glued onto the artwork. Decorative frames surround the text, reinforcing the topic and adding more informationreaders get a glimpse of Riki's journal pages, identify some of the birds in his yard and learn how a bird develops inside an egg. Backmatter includes instructions for building and installing a birdhouse, a recipe for bird-food cupcakes and information about birdbaths, feeders and bluebirds. Bird lovers with young children and aspiring bird watchers are sure to want to emulate Riki. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
In Truck Driver Tom (2007) and Mr. Cookie Baker (2006), Wellington showed adults on the job, but in this title, a boy does all the work. Bright, clear gouache pictures show young Riki building a birdhouse, step by step, to keep beautiful bluebirds coming back to his yard. Children (and grown-ups) may be puzzled by the absence of adult supervision as Riki measures, saws, glues, hammers, sands, and paints, and then installs the birdhouse in his garden. Appended, detailed assembly instructions do mention, though, that building a birdhouse does require adult assistance. What works best here is the overview of all the things that young birdwatchers can do, including tracking the various species through the seasons, keeping a journal, putting out foods, and leaving scraps of fabric and yarn for birds to use in their nests, and kids who already have an interest in birds will enjoy spotting the various species identified on each spread.--Rochman, Hazel Copyright 2009 Booklist