It’s Draw a Picture of a Bird Day!
A Nest for Celeste
by Henry Cole is one of my all-time favorite chapter books forchildren. It’s the story of a sweet-natured, courageous mouse named Celeste who befriends a teenage apprentice to the legendary bird artist, John James Audubon. Even without illustrations, this novel would be outstanding. The beautifully detailed pencil drawings make it a masterpiece.
Cole, Henry. A Nest for Celeste: A Story About Art, Inspiration, and the Meaning of Home. New York: Katherine Tegen Books, 2010. Print. pps. The Guster song, All the Way Up to Heaven (All the Way Back Home), makes me think of Celeste. If you listen carefully to the studio version, you can even hear fluttering in the background.
And speaking of Audubon . . .
Sibley, David. The Sibley Guide to Birds. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2000.Guess what? The official artist of the National Audubon Society, David Sibley, went to my high school! Back in the early 80’s he painted a beautiful mural in our school library. It’s probably worth at least a gazillion dollars now. David is a scientist as well as an artist, and is considered to be the ultimate authority on bird watching and conservation. He has written and illustrated numerous reference books for bird watchers. Almost every public library in the world owns a copy of his most famous work, The Sibley Guide to Birds.
I love that you do these reviews of children’s books. I have two grandchildren, ages 5 & 6, and I’m getting some great ideas for books for them. Right now, I’ve been reading them my favorite children’s books: The Story of Ferdinand the Bull, Great Day For Up, One Morning In Maine. But how many times can I re-read them (quite a few, it seems) before they want something new?
Thanks for your kind words. The Story of Ferdinand and One Morning in Maine are favorites of mine, too. Isn’t it great that they are still a big hit? Kids usually like repetition so I’d keep reading whatever they ask for, but maybe have a pile of other books by the same authors ready to go. Have you read Make Way for Ducklings and Lentil to them yet?