Hummingbird Nest: A Journal of Poems - Hardcover

Kristine O'Connell George; Barry Moser

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0152023259 ISBN 13: 9780152023256

Publisher: Harcourt Childrens Books, 2004

Synopsis

When a mother hummingbird begins to build a nest on their back patio, a family delights in the events that transpire over the next three months as the eggs are hatched, the chicks are born, and their first attempt at flight is made.

About this title

About the Author

KRISTINE O'CONNELL GEORGE's children's books have won many major poetry awards and garnered numerous starred review. She lives in the Santa Monica Mountains in California.

BARRY MOSER is the acclaimed illustrator of many books for children and adults, includingTelling Time with Big Mama Cat and Sit, Truman!, both written by Dan Harper and co-illustrated with Cara Moser, andThat Summer by Tony Johnston. He lives in western Massachusetts.

Reviews

Grade 3 Up-In this personal journal, George describes the building of an Anna's hummingbird's nest in a potted ficus tree on her patio and chronicles the hatching and rearing of the baby birds during a two-month period. Her poems include observations written from the points of view of her daughter and those of the family dog and cat. An author's note that provides commentary on the journal and two pages of detailed hummingbird facts are appended. The book itself is a handsome, finely crafted piece-a combination of creamy pages, clearly printed text, and perfectly placed illustrations. Moser's transparent watercolor paintings, which range in size from small vignettes to full-page illustrations, show mama hummingbird, nest, tree, hatchlings, and fledgling birds from a variety of perspectives. Although there is no shortage of informative books on hummingbirds, this lovely title provides a vicarious experience along with the facts.-Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH
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*Starred Review* K-Gr. 4. Hummingbirds are the smallest birds in the world, and their fragility and astonishing strength are the drama in these small, connected poems and beautiful watercolor pictures. After a hummingbird builds her nest in a tree on the patio of George's California home, the poet keeps a journal as she and her family watch the tough, chirping mother build a house of "webs and grass" and lay two tiny eggs. They see the hatchlings emerge from the cracked shells ("each new / breath a shudder"). There's the wonder of their first flight, and then they are gone. Opposite each poem, Moser's quiet, exquisitely detailed pictures show the people watching and the small, delicate creatures. The tiny Vs of the birds' open mouths are echoed in the shapes of the pointed leaves and the spread of the tree branches. The words are fearful when the nest has emptied ("the dark seems filled with cold and cat and owl"), but the picture shows the protective moon looking down over the tree in the yard. The long, beautifully written notes with astonishing facts about hummingbirds make this a fine choice for both language arts and science classes. As in the best nature writing, the excitement here is in the particulars that bring readers close up to a universe. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Harcourt Childrens Books
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0152023259
• ISBN 13: 9780152023256
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 48