The Best Nest

Birds

by Doris L. Mueller, Sherry Neidigh (Illustrator)

Long ago, when the world was young, the magpies’ nests were the envy of all other birds. To help the other birds, Maggie Magpie patiently explained how to build a nest. But some birds were impatient and flew off without listening to all the directions, which is why, to this day, birds’ nests come in all different shapes and sizes. This clever retelling of an old English folktale teaches the importance of careful listening.

Genres: Animals, Picture Books, Birds, Spanish Literature, Fiction, Education

32 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 2007

Reviews

[Bear of MoonBear · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mix of fairytale and fact. The drawings are beautiful and good factual info at the back.

[Terry]

The Best Nest is both fiction and non-fiction. The story moves forward as a fable, but it has lots of factual information about the materials various bird species use to build their nests.

Arbordale Publishing (previously Sylvan Dell) has wonderful books, and this one is another solid product. To read this review and see some of the other Arbordale books we love, visit the Reading Tub website.

[Angie Fehl · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Best Nest tells the story of a group of forest birds who are concerned with their young ones being a target for predatory animals. They gather together and go see Magpie, asking for lessons in how to build a more protective nest. An entertaining fable-like story of why the different bird species make their various unique styles of nests. The artwork is colorful and intricate and the back of the book offers some extra ornithological facts as well as a "Match the Nest" quiz. It's a good story but the artwork is really what keeps audiences engaged.