What do you think?
Rate this book
Little Naturalists: John James Audubon Painted Birds
Introduce your baby to the stunning artwork of famous naturalist John James Audubon. John James Audubon was an ornithologist, naturalist, and painter. He is known for his stunning illustrations and paintings of North American birds in their natural habitats, painting over 700 species discovering 25 new kinds of birds during his lifetime. John James Audubon Painted Birds shares his legacy and his love of nature with budding bird-watchers through a clever poem and gorgeous illustrations. As Audubon said, “the world is not given by [our] fathers, but borrowed from [our] children.” Kate Coombs has written several books for children, including the award winning poetry collection Water Sings Blue and most recently Goodnight Mr. Darcy. A former teacher of every grade from kindergarten through college, Kate makes her home in Utah. Seth Lucas is an illustrator and designer with a BFA in graphic design. He is the co-creator of Ello There Outdoors selling prints and accessories supporting the National Parks and outdoors. He lives in Indianapolis, Indiana, with his wife and daughter.
22 pages, Board Book
Published March 19, 2019
1 person is currently reading
50 people want to read
About the author
Kate Coombs
35 books52 followersI was born in Spokane, Washington, but I spent most of my childhood in Camarillo, California, which is about an hour's drive north of Los Angeles. Whenever possible as a child, I read books—books, books, and more books. The rest of the time I rode my bike with my sister, Loni, or looked after my little brother and sister. Sometimes we went to the movies at an old theater we called "The Sticky Theater" because there was always soda spilled on the floor. I was already a fan of fairy tales and comedy, so it shouldn't surprise you to hear that my favorite movie when I was a child was Snow White and the Three Stooges.
I began writing stories, poems, and plays in grade school. For the plays, I would write myself parts like The Glorious Queen and my sister parts like The Quiet Servant Girl. She was a pretty good sport about it!
When I was a teenager, I played bells in the marching band and oboe in the concert band. For a while I wanted to be a concert oboist. I even learned to cut and tie my own double reeds, a tricky task. Next I dreamed of becoming an artist. But once I got to college and started studying art, my first love—books—came back and grabbed me, so I ended up majoring in English. I eventually worked as a college writing teacher, an editor of coffee table books and technical manuals, and a grade school teacher. I later worked as a home teacher, driving around Los Angeles to teach seriously ill students. I've been teaching on and off for years, instructing students in every single grade from K-13, kindergarten to college!
While I was teaching, I was also writing stories in my free time. I wrote a lot of stories, which gave me practice and helped me become a better writer. After a while I started sending my stories to publishers, asking to have them made into books for kids. It took a long time, but eventually my dreams came true—now I'm a published writer!
Six Fun Facts
My dad used to call me Kate the Great.
I was once attacked by a monkey.
When I see a dry leaf on the sidewalk, I go out of my way to step on it and hear the crunch.
I have six brothers and sisters. We're all adopted and from four different ethnic backgrounds.
I can flicker my nostrils really well.
My favorite color is the blue-green at the top of an ocean wave when it catches the light just before it falls.
I began writing stories, poems, and plays in grade school. For the plays, I would write myself parts like The Glorious Queen and my sister parts like The Quiet Servant Girl. She was a pretty good sport about it!
When I was a teenager, I played bells in the marching band and oboe in the concert band. For a while I wanted to be a concert oboist. I even learned to cut and tie my own double reeds, a tricky task. Next I dreamed of becoming an artist. But once I got to college and started studying art, my first love—books—came back and grabbed me, so I ended up majoring in English. I eventually worked as a college writing teacher, an editor of coffee table books and technical manuals, and a grade school teacher. I later worked as a home teacher, driving around Los Angeles to teach seriously ill students. I've been teaching on and off for years, instructing students in every single grade from K-13, kindergarten to college!
While I was teaching, I was also writing stories in my free time. I wrote a lot of stories, which gave me practice and helped me become a better writer. After a while I started sending my stories to publishers, asking to have them made into books for kids. It took a long time, but eventually my dreams came true—now I'm a published writer!
Six Fun Facts
My dad used to call me Kate the Great.
I was once attacked by a monkey.
When I see a dry leaf on the sidewalk, I go out of my way to step on it and hear the crunch.
I have six brothers and sisters. We're all adopted and from four different ethnic backgrounds.
I can flicker my nostrils really well.
My favorite color is the blue-green at the top of an ocean wave when it catches the light just before it falls.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 4, 2024
Wonderful introduction to Audubon for small children. I think it is very important to find ways for children to connect with nature; so many children today seem to be disconnected from any contact with flora or fauna. JJA has produced some of the most striking illustrations of birds that I have ever seen. A great introduction to this important naturalist and illustrator.
October 9, 2023
This book fell short of my expectations. I really thought this would be a fun introduction of Audubon and his works for my little children, but the book ended up being just pictures of different birds and with words of the various parts of a bird. Pretty disappointed. I'm glad I just borrowed it from the library instead of purchasing it.
March 28, 2025
The book presents an opportunity to this about all the different aspects of birds for a moment, which is good, I guess. However, an illustration of Audubon himself would have been nice. And how can you write a whole book about how this guy painted birds, but then not show one of his actual paintings?
March 27, 2019
A board book series that introduces the youngest of readers to famous naturalists with this one focusing on John Audobon and his love of birds.
August 13, 2019
Pretty pictures and fun concept for children, but lacking quite a bit in the content department.
September 5, 2020
What a delightful little book! The illustrations are dark and easy to see against the cream colored background. The text is nice and simple, which would work great in a storytime for young children.
May 19, 2021
Loved the rhyme and the style. Colors were not a hit with E though.
April 28, 2024
Not a fan of the art.
May 25, 2021
So cute!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews