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Every Day Birds

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Young readers get an introduction to twenty different types of birds, with breathtaking paper-cuttings by newcomer Dylan Metrano!

"Chickadee wears a wee black cap.Jay is loud and bold.Nuthatch perches upside-down.Finch is clothed in gold." Young readers are fascinated with birds in their world. Every Day Birds helps children identify and learn about common birds. After reading Every Day Birds, families can look out their windows with curiosity--recognizing birds and nests and celebrating the beauty of these creatures! Every Day Birds focuses on twenty North American birds, with a poem and descriptions written by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater and beautiful paper-cuttings by first-time picture book illustrator Dylan Metrano. Interesting facts about each bird are featured in the back of the book.

32 pages, Hardcover

First published February 23, 2016

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About the author

Amy Ludwig VanDerwater

12 books86 followers
Amy Ludwig VanDerwater is author of several poetry books for children including Forest Has a Song, With My Hands, Read! Read! Read!, and Write! Write! Write!. In addition, she is author of picture books Every Day Birds, Dreaming of You, That Missing Feeling, poems in many anthologies, and popular classroom blogs The Poem Farm and Sharing Our Notebooks. Her newest book is If This Bird Had Pockets: A Poem in Your Pocket Day Celebration (March 2022).

Having studied and worked at the Teachers College Writing Project at Columbia University, Amy has been an elementary school teacher and is author of the Heinemann professional book Poems Are Teachers: How Studying Poetry Strengthens Writing in All Genres and co-author, with Lucy Calkins and Stephanie Parsons, of Poetry: Big Thoughts in Small Packages. For 23 years, she has led writing workshops and has taught lessons celebrating the power and joy of words.

Amy lives on an old farm in Holland, NY with her husband, sometimes a child or two, and a handful of sweet pets.

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5 stars
108 (32%)
4 stars
162 (48%)
3 stars
58 (17%)
2 stars
4 (1%)
1 star
0 (0%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
Profile Image for Christopher Lehman.
Author 7 books92 followers
March 16, 2016
I love Amy's poetry for children, so I was already partial to this one. The cut paper illustrations are amazing, detailed, and capture each bird perfectly. I love the whimsical poem and the science section at the end is perfect for curious, nature-minded readers like my own kids! Love this addition to my Amy LV library.
Profile Image for Mary Ann.
1,482 reviews279 followers
March 5, 2016
Short simple verses and cut-paper collage illustrations introduce young readers to common North American birds. Choosing birds that preschoolers like to notice, VanDerwater displays one bird on each page, highlighting a memorable characteristic for each. "Heron fishes with his bill./ Sparrow hops in brown./ Mockingbird has many voices./ Pigeon lives in town." Perfect for budding naturalists.
Profile Image for Aliza Werner.
1,041 reviews89 followers
March 17, 2016
Amy writes so thoughtfully for young children. BIRDS introduces kids to 20 types of North American birds through poetry, a gentle rhyme. At the back of the book is more information on each bird, should the reader be curious about more. Bright, bold, colorful illustrations will draw a child's eye.
Profile Image for Kristen.
173 reviews
February 20, 2016
Oo, I like this book. Each page is simple and bold, with one lovely illustration and one fact about that type of bird. The text rhymes in a way that feels lyrical and natural. And the endpapers have more facts about each bird!
Profile Image for Angie Quantrell.
1,282 reviews6 followers
March 3, 2016
I need more than five stars! LOVE this nature book about birds. Told in clever rhyme, Every Day Birds is filled with bold illustrations. The author includes a mini-field guide at the end about listing each bird from the book. LOVE it!
Profile Image for Nancy.
129 reviews
July 28, 2016
Beautiful book. Handy bird details in the back.
Profile Image for Michelle.
Author 3 books30 followers
March 4, 2016
EVERY DAY BIRDS shares the joy of birdwatching with even the youngest, 2-5 year old ornithologists. (Although, truth be told, this not-so-young beginner learned a thing or two, as well!) Amy Ludwig VanDerwater has chosen her subjects carefully to ensure that these are birds children are likely to recognize in their daily lives, making this Junior Library Guild Selection an ideal choice for home, classrooms, or library storytime.

Using a simple, rhyming format, twenty common North American birds are introduced, one per page, along with a signature characteristic for each. The accompanying cut-paper illustrations by Dylan Metrano are striking, bringing the birds to bold, beautiful life in a truly compelling fashion. The whole poem is repeated at the back, followed by a closing section with additional facts about each bird family to continue the learning.

Described as "beginning birding at its best..." by Kirkus Reviews and "a great way to expose children to the wonders of nature, many of which are in their own backyards" by School Library Journal, EVERY DAY BIRDS should be in the hands of every child who is curious about the world around them. (And what child isn't?)
Profile Image for Barbara.
13k reviews267 followers
April 11, 2016
While exotic birds that we'll only see on a nature documentary or in a magazine may captivate our imaginations and fill us with wild possibilities, it's those birds that can be found quite frequently in our own backyards or deciduous trees that are most watchable. After all, because of their proximity, we can not only spot them but also watch them as they build their nests, search for food, and sometimes even fly in formation. In rhyming lines, a poem celebrates 20 of the most commonly seen birds, including the jay, the robin, and the bluebird. Some of the descriptions are downright clever, perfect for enticing youngsters into the book's pages while also encouraging them to look for the birds found in the book. Thumbnail sketches at the end of the book offer additional information about each bird, and the brightly colored illustrations, fashioned from paper that was cut and then layered, are outstanding and work well to depict the birds and their various perches or habitats. This book is ideal for young readers who will enjoy the colors of the birds on the book's pages as well as having the chance to glimpse at least one of the birds nearby.
Author 10 books6 followers
March 15, 2018
"Every day we watch for birds weaving through the sky.
We listen to their calls and songs.
We like to see them fly."

So begins this poem that has been transformed into a picture book. From there we learn a bit about the chickadee, the jay, the nuthatch and the finch, as well as 16 other types of birds. Several pages at the end of the book contain additional information about each type of bird mentioned in the book.

This is a great way to introduce young readers to the subject of birds. Not only are the illustrations colorful and expressive, and the text not only rhymes, the sentences are very short.
Profile Image for Stephanie.
156 reviews
March 30, 2016
This is a simple yet beautiful book. The illustrations are cut paper, and there is just so much detail on each bird. Each bird has it's own page, and gives a little fact that young kids can comprehend. The pictures are large and bold, great for teaching youngins' how to identify these birds. The end of the book includes the entire book/poem on two pages, and more facts about each type of bird. I'm definitely bringing this book home for Addie!
3,731 reviews18 followers
March 31, 2016
Simple but lovely collage illustrations and rhyming text introduce 20 common birds. This is a perfect book to use with young children both to provide information and to entice them into watching and understanding birds. Additional information about each bird is provided at the back.

Purely personal comment here but I am always astonished at how few people can identify common birds so this may help adults as well!
Profile Image for Christiane.
1,247 reviews15 followers
March 10, 2016
Bold illustrations and simple text ("Woodpecker taps hollow trees.") introduce children to common birds they might see in their backyard or neighborhood (crow, sparrow, heron, pigeon, etc.). I really like the cut-paper illustrations by Dylan Metrano. There is a section at the end with more information about the different birds. Great for classrooms!
Profile Image for Ms.Gaye.
630 reviews12 followers
March 27, 2016
Noteworthy easy nonfiction. In poetic lines of 5 words or less, 20 common American birds are described in appearance or movement. Using only a few colors per bird, the cut paper images aptly depict the unique shape and color of each bird. Simple enough for a preschooler to enjoy, with additional info at the end. Ages 4-8
April 10, 2019
I love this book of poems for children. It is a rhyme full of types of birds, and how they are Also, in the end of the book, it provides pictures and descriptions of the birds. I love this book, because you can take students on a field trip at a local park. The students can then search for the birds in the book.
1,136 reviews2 followers
March 30, 2020
We love birds so it’s no surprise that this book was a hit at our house. The illustrations are beautifully illustrated and striking with solid, contrasting backgrounds. The text includes a short verse about each bird, and lots of information at the back of the book to expand knowledge. Defiantly a must read for bird lovers, young and old.
Profile Image for Jennifer Miera.
818 reviews5 followers
March 4, 2016
Colorful, yet simplistic stained glass-like" illustrations adorn this sweet introduction to common birds. More informational text about each bird appears at the end of the book, as well as resources where one might find more detailed information about birds.
Profile Image for Joanne Roberts.
997 reviews12 followers
January 23, 2017
Beautiful cut paper illustrations compliment this rhyming introduction to nearly two dozen common North American birds. More detailed back matter, links, and suggestions for further study.

As a judge for the CYBILS award, I received a copy of this book for free in return for honest evaluation.
Profile Image for Lynn  A. Davidson.
5,802 reviews24 followers
April 14, 2018
This is a wonderful book for young readers who are interested in learning about birds. For each bird there is a little poem and a lovely description so the reader can identify the bird. Back matter is included with more information about each one.
Profile Image for Rebecca Davis.
82 reviews
March 12, 2019
Twenty North American birds are surveyed in this story, written in verse. The lines are simple but help children identify various birds. The illustrations are bright and accurate. At the end, more facts are presented about birds should children wish to learn more.
Profile Image for Janet Weber.
188 reviews6 followers
October 24, 2015
Finally a simplistic book that covers a wide variety of common birds! Large simplistic illustrations accompanied by rhyming verse makes for a great story time book.
Profile Image for Samantha.
4,985 reviews58 followers
March 7, 2016
A poetic look at birds complete with facts about each type that the reader can easily recall when bird-watching in their own backyard.

Cut paper illustrations. Great read aloud for PreK-2.

Profile Image for Ruth Ann.
2,011 reviews
March 18, 2016
The illustrations are so realistic the birds seem to jump off the pages!

The simple rhyming text gives us a glimpse into the life of each bird.

Fuller descriptions are included at the back.
5,030 reviews71 followers
August 17, 2016
A very simple, but appealing introduction to common North American "every day" birds. This will be great to have when I get the spring bird requests. Back information provides a little more depth.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews

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