Welcome to Perfect Picture Book Friday!
Up here on Blueberry Hill we were having spring for 3 days, but now it’s 30 and snowing again, which may possibly have affected my choice of book for this week 😊
It is a gorgeous book – lyrically written and so beautifully illustrated! I think you’re going to like it!
Title: The Winter Bird
Written By: Kate Banks
Illustrated By: Suzie Mason
Publisher: Candlewick, Oct. 11, 2022, fiction
ISBN#: 978-1536215687
Suitable For Ages: 3-7
Themes/Topics: nature, perseverance, kindness
text copyright Kate Banks 2022, illustration copyright Suzie Mason 2022, Candlewick
Opening:
“It was the time of year when the sun went to bed early.
The big brown bear lumbered off to its winter den.
The hedgehog dove into its nest of moss and leaves under the shed.
And the birds prepared to fly south.”
Brief Synopsis: [from the publisher] “Forest animals help an injured nightingale survive the winter in a comforting story of friendship and resilience, lyrically told and gorgeously illustrated.”
Links To Resources: Help birds in winter by hanging a bird feeder outside your house. Black oil sunflower seeds provide energy and are a favorite of many birds. You can also make a shelter for birds by making a little brush pile of branches, twigs and leaves where they can escape the wind and huddle together for warmth.
Why I Like This Book: Such a pretty book! Winter is coming, and for the nightingale, who is a spring bird, it is time to fly south. But a broken wing leaves it unable to go and worried about how it will survive. The owl, the rabbit, and the gray squirrel comfort, reassure, and help the nightingale, making sure it stays warm, fed, and protected throughout the winter, and the nightingale learns to take care of itself and also that winter has its own kind of beauty and wonder. Lyrical language and gorgeous illustrations make you want to climb right into the book. . . especially on the day when “the snowflakes were replaced by snowdrops. Green buds sprouted from the trees. The bear lumbered out of its den. And the hedgehog appeared once again.” (Because right now we’re all ready for spring, I think 😊) A beautiful quiet book perfect for settling-down time and for young readers who like animals and nature.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do 😊
For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.
PPBF folks, please add your titles and post-specific blog links (and any other info you feel like filling out 😊) to the form below so we can all come see what fabulous picture books you’ve chosen to share this week!
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! 😊
Susanna Leonard Hill 
Oh my gosh! There’s so much beauty and sweetness in the book you shared. This is one of those moments when I don’t want to check out this book from my library. Instead, I want to OWN a copy of this beautifully written and gorgeously illustrated book. Thank you for sharing The Winter Bird.
My reaction to it was the same, Leslie, which is why I own my copy and coudn’t wait til next winter to review it because it’s just so beautiful! I would have put every page in the post if I could have, because each is more beautiful than the last.
I just ordered a copy, and I CAN’T WAIT TO RECEIVE IT!!! Thank you again for highlighting this gorgeous book.
I hope you love it!
Gorgeous all around. I know my kids would love this one. ❤️ They have the ebook at my library, but not the physical book. I just requested it! Thanks for the ISBN Susanna 😊
You are welcome, Katelyn! Thank you again for suggesting it! I have been reviewing books forever, and introducing debut authors and their books for several years, and I don’t know why it never occurred to me to add in the ISBN numbers!
Probably the same reason I didn’t think to just open up a new tab and find it myself ha!
🙂
so lovely- makes the return to cold and snowy weather easier
I really think it does, Annette. That and knowing it’s the middle of March and time is on our side when it comes to spring arriving 🙂
Quiet books soothe my soul and these sample illustrations warm my heart. Lovely indeed! I think I ‘need’ to buy this one for my collection. Thanks for sharing.
If you like quiet, lovely books, this is probably a good one for your collection!
You’re right! It is sooo pretty! I’m swooning. I need to get my hands on this book!
I think you will love it, Lisa. It’s beautiful, both in the lyrical text and the illustrations!
Great! I’m putting this on a mentor text list for a project I’m working on!
If you’re looking for great lyrical texts with beautiful illustrations, also check out BEFORE MORNING by Joyce Sidman if you haven’t already, and LIGHTS AT NIGHT by Tasha Hilderman, and BERRY SONG by Michaela Goade!
Thank you! Unfortunately, I don’t have any control over beautiful illustrations (that’s not a gift of mine, haha). I am, however, trying to work on my lyrical writing for a pet project with nature being the focus. I will definitely check these out and hope someday that my writing is beautiful enough to attract some beautiful illustrations!
Since you liked both I wasn’t sure whether you illustrated 🙂 I can’t draw to save my life, but all three of those books have gorgeous lyrical text, no illustrating ability required 🙂
I can’t draw to save my life either, which is a shame because there were artists in my family. I think illustrations can make or break a book, though. And I love when the illustrations match the style of the text. For me, that doesn’t always happen.
I totally agree. And I have also had situations like you describe.
Mmm, that opening with a cuppa and a cozy spot! Hope my library has it! I still think it’s unfair you are getting all the snow and we are left with dry, windy, and far-too-warm temperatures! I’m really debating what to plant in the veggie patch based on what I can only call a drought.😢
I’m sorry you’re not getting enough snow, Jules! I know it will make summer challenging. We haven’t had a winter like this in years. I remember when I was 7, we got 14 inches of snow on Thanksgiving. That’s the kind of winter we’re supposed to have in the Northeast. But it doesn’t usually happen anymore.
It’s so bad that the town is now filled with smoke from fires here, in Wyoming, and Nebraska! Gimme that snow!!!
Oh, no! That’s terrible! And it’s only mid-March!
Such a beautiful book! Thank you for sharing. It is cold and snowy where I live and hopeful for warmer days ahead. 🙂
You will especially love the last page then, Christy, when spring comes – it’s so pretty!
What a perfect book to read today (and this coming week!) – we had a short “spring break” and are back to regular programming: snow and cold. The story sounds sweet, and the illustrations are gorgeous.
I know! Aren’t those illustrations amazing, Sue? I was sad to learn the author is no longer with us. Her writing is so beautiful. But she left behind many, many books, so I will look forward to reading more of her work.
This is so gorgeous. I love the lyrical text.
Me, too, Jodie! I adore lyrical texts, and am constantly striving to write some of my own, but I have a hard time getting them right! Have you read BEFORE MORNING by Joyce Sidman? Amazing!
I haven’t, but I’ll definitely check it out. It’s great to know there’s still a market for these books, as an agent said one of mine was ‘too lyrical’.
OMG! Can there be any such thing? I love lyrical texts!
Wow! The gentle cadence of the text you’ve shared makes me feel like I’m settling in for winter. And the illustrations! Just gorgeous! And now I’ve got to seek out this book, because it wasn’t on my radar. This is one reason why I love PPBF so much. It introduces me to books I may have missed, otherwise. Thank you, Susanna!
I’m so glad you like it, Jilanne! I found this one totally by luck. You’ll notice it was published in 2022 – it’s not brand new! Such a lovely book, though, especially for people who like birds and nature.
This PPBF sounds lovely. I know I would not want to return it to the library..I think I will add it to my collection! Thanks for sharing!
It’s a lovely, beautiful book, Susan! I hope you like it!
What a beautiful book!
It IS a beautiful book, Cathy! If you’re library has it, take a look! 🙂
I had literally just put down Banks’ “Pup and Bear” when I saw this post. Also highly recommended, such a sweet story!
I don’t know that one, Erik! Thanks for mentioning. I will look it up!