Waiting for a Warbler

by Sneed B. Collard III, Thomas Brooks (Illustrations)

In early April, as Owen and his sister search the hickories, oaks, and dogwoods for returning birds, a huge group of birds leaves the misty mountain slopes of the Yucatan peninsula for the 600-mile flight across the Gulf of Mexico to their summer nesting grounds. One of them is a Cerulean warbler. He will lose more than half his body weight even if the journey goes well. Aloft over the vast ocean, the birds encourage each other with squeaky chirps that say, “We are still alive. We can do this.”


Owen’s family watches televised reports of a great storm over the Gulf of Mexico, fearing what it may mean for migrating songbirds. In alternating spreads, we wait and hope with Owen, then struggle through the storm with the warbler.  


This moving story with its hopeful ending appeals to us to preserve the things we love. The backmatter includes a North American bird migration map, birding information for kids, and guidance for how native plantings can transform yards into bird and wildlife habitat.

Genres: Picture Books, Nature, Animals, Birds, Childrens, Stem

36 pages, Hardcover

Published February 2, 2021

About the author

Sneed B. Collard III (see also "Sneed B. Collard") is a biologist, world traveler, speaker, and author of almost one hundred books for young people, including the 2024 Orbis Pictus Award winner, Border Crossings (Charlesbridge Publishing). His other recent science titles include Fire Birds; Hopping Ahead of Climate Change; Little Killers; Waiting for a Warbler; Beaver & Otter Get Along . . . Sort of; and the upcoming picture book, Like No Other. Collard holds science degrees from the University of California at Berkeley and U.C. Santa Barbara. He lives in Montana.

Reviews

[Tina Loves To Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a children's book that I read to all my kids. My kids loves bird watching, and this book is all about birds. I really enjoyed this book, and it makes you think about how much birds go through. I love the pictures in this book. I really have to say I never thought much about what birds go through, and what kindof plants I plant. I really think this book is a cute and very good book. I think this book is really for older children like 2nd to around 5th graders. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Tilbury House Publishers) or author (Sneed B. Collard III) via NetGalley, so I can give honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

[Abby Johnson]

This is a fantastic book for young birders that follows a single cerulean warbler over the thousands of miles of his migration while simultaneously following two kids getting ready to (hopefully) welcome him into their yard to nest. Birding tips & tricks are woven seamlessly into the text (make your yard bird-ready by planting native species; listen for bird calls to know when are where to look for birds). This is a perfect book for citizen scientists or anyone interested in knowing more about birding or songbirds. Pair this one with Bird Count or Tiny Bird and grab some binoculars!

[Pinky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Owen and his family take great care to make sure warblers will stop by at their house during their migration. Even though a horrible storm stops many from coming, Owen gets a surprise when a pair of Cerulean Warblers come to their tree. They raise a chick there before heading off on their journey again in late July.

[Becky Loader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations and a well-written story about birds and our responsibility to the environment.

[Jeimy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeously illustrated picture book that shows the perils birds face during migration and the benefits of planting native flowers to welcome them home.

I must admit that young Owen, avid birder, stole a piece of my heart with his empathy for the cerulean warbler's life.

[Eiyana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story about a Cerulean Warbler and his fight to make it across the Gulf of Mexico to find land and a mate. Also the story of Owen and Nora who desperately wish to see a second warbler this summer after seeing one pass through their yard the summer before. Excellent story and backmatter about birding. Great for a library, and classroom.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on his personal experiences on birding expeditions with his son, author Sneed Collard beautifully pens a story about anticipation while weaving in notes about climate change and how humans can help other living creatures. Owen and his sister are eager to see the birds they saw last year return to their yard this spring. They are especially keen to see a Cerulean Warbler, a striking bird they spotted last year. Because they've planted native plants, they hope to attract more creatures to the area. While the youngsters wait for those birds to come back, the book follows the journey some birds take; in the case of that longed for Cerulean Warbler, his trip includes an 18 hour journey over 600 miles of ocean water. The watercolor illustrations, painted in gentle strokes but with colors that do justice to the birds and landscape, complement the text well as the birds face a brutal storm that attacks the Gulf of Mexico. While many other birds become exhausted and can no longer fly on, the Cerulean Warbler is one of the survivors. He makes his way to a white oak tree in Owen's yard, setting up housekeeping, building a nest, and raising young. Owen and Nora get to see all this before the birds leave once again for warmer climes. This picture book will certainly offer proof that birds are fascinating, and it includes back matter about how to become a birder and suggestions for protecting birds. One action that everyone can take is keeping their cats indoors as they are responsible for the death of many birds. While this book is filled with science, the information goes down easily because of the skill of the author in telling the related stories of birds and young birders.

[Emilee (emileereadsbooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and Publisher Spotlight, Tilbury House Publishers for a free digital copy for my review.

A lovely book to introduce children to being birder and understanding the factors that effect birds and their migrations.

[A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Owen and his family have done what they can to create a back yard hospitable to creatures. Now, they birdwatch expectantly in the hopes of seeing a rare Cerulean Warbler return after its grueling annual migration. In the meantime, we follow a Cerulean Warbler along its perilous journey while other birds flit in and out of Owen's view. With solid ecological information alongside gentle watercolor-esque illustrations of soft nature scapes, this should be a nice fit for budding birders and elementary science teachers/classrooms.

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Waiting for a Warbler tells the story of two young bird enthusiasts, Owen and Nora, who are anxiously waiting for the migrating birds to return to their yard in the spring. They are especially hopeful to once again see the rare Cerulean Warbler. As the story unfolds, we also read a parallel informational story about the birds who are starting their long migration north. Tension builds for the birds, as well as for Owen and Nora, as a large storm builds. Finally, we breathe a sigh of relief when the children spot the Cerulean Warbler who decides to stay and make a family of warblers.
In addition to being an example of great storytelling, this book is packed with information and resources for bird enthusiasts who want to know more about how to spot and protect birds. The soft illustrations help create a strong emotional connection to the characters and birds.
This book would be a welcome addition to personal, school, and classroom libraries and could be used by organizations that promote nature and wildlife education.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful hybrid of fictional narrative and informational text about bird migrations and birding. Thomas Brooks's soft watercolor illustrations captures a variety of perspectives, from close-ups of individual birds to a stormy seascape. End matter includes tips on bird-watching and suggestions for protecting birds

[Elles_shelves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Waiting for a Warbler by Sneed B. Collard is an informative children’s story about animal migration, birdwatching, and the the effects of deforestation on native animal ecosystems. This story revolves around a family who enjoys birdwatching and who has ensured that their own backyard is habitable for native animals/ insects. It also tells the story of a Cerulean warbler who is making his annual migration thrown a torrential storm. The illustrations by Thomas Brooks are realistic and absolutely gorgeous.
As a teacher, I plan to absolutely place this book on my classroom library. I plan to also use this book in science when it’s time to discuss animal migration and the impact deforestation has had on animal habitats. There is also a reading story in our reading textbook that thi a story would pair nicely with. This book would also be great to use with Boy Scouts/ Girl Scouts (or a similar youth organization) who want to discuss birdwatching or animal habitats. This book would also be perfect for families who enjoy birdwatching and it contains pages of information of how to start birdwatching. I’m not a birdwatcher and I will say that it has made me think about the plants on my own yard and how I can make changes to include more native plants to support local plants/ animals: insects.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an electronic ARC from Publishers Spotlight through NetGalley.
Owen and Nora open the book by looking for birds in their backyard. Readers quickly learn that this family has designed their backyard with native plants and trees to attract birds when they journey north for the summer. In particular, they hope to find a Cerulean Warbler who will stay and nest there. Readers see illustrations of a variety of birds who do stop on their migratory journeys. Collard seamlessly slips in birding information throughout the story as well as providing informative text at the end of the book. The illustrations are realistic and let readers feel they are observing in the backyard too.

[Hal · Rating 4 out of 5]

arc provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review

I really adored this one! It was full of information but in a way that is easily digestible for kids, paired with adorable illustrations and characters.

I loved seeing the drawings of the different bird species that were intwined within this story. The way information was delivered was perfect!

I really think older kids will love this especially those with an interest in animals. Even younger kids will have a blast with this, looking over the images as they are being read to.

So good!

4/5 ⭐️

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Waiting for a Warbler
By Sneed B Collard III
Thomas Brooks (illustrator)

Beautiful pictures, great illustrations of nature. the story is of watching nature and finding how to enhance the environment for animals. The story shows the need of the family to change things to help themselves and environment.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would be a wonderful book for a classroom library. If you have a child that loves birds, this book would be a good one. You learn all about birds and the illustrations are wonderful. The birds are all lifelike so you can us this to try to look for ones in your back yard.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

There’s so much to like in this informational fiction book - kids loving science and birds, families planting native species, terrific back matter with a call to action!

[The Silvan Reverie | Sarah Street · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, I could not love this more! It's a beautiful and engaging narrative interspersed with important scientific details throughout. Children will learn and think about bird migration as well as what makes a good habitat, but the learning never supersedes the thought-provoking and reassuring narrative. Children will be able to consider how their own backyards may be a key component in protecting our planet and the creatures we live with. They will be able to enjoy the children in this story, how they patiently and persistently keep track of the wildlife in their yard and demonstrate the curiosity it takes to be a good birder.

I love that real names are given to a variety of species throughout the book (birds and plants). Kids learn about the importance of native plants. The illustrations are true to life and beautifully done.

This is perfect for young naturalists and bird lovers. I really appreciate the work of Sneed B. Collard II to engage children in these topics in a meaningful way.

***Note: I was given a review copy of this book via Publisher's Spotlight. Opinions are my own.

[Sneed III · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the author of this book, I just wanted to provide some backstory to this book. It was inspired during my son's and my Big Year of birding in 2016, when we had the good fortune to visit High Island, Texas, a mega-hotspot for migrating birds completing their northward journeys across the Gulf of Mexico. That visit made us both fall in love with warblers, and take a great interest in protecting them. In fact, I roughed out the story within a week of our visit, the original story following a single Cerulean Warbler. The breakthrough happened when my publisher at Tilbury, Jonathan Eaton, suggested I tell two parallel stories, one of the warbler, the other of a family that has been improving its backyard habitat for birds. That elevated the story to a much higher and deeper level, and we hope that this new story combined with the informational backmatter makes Waiting for a Warbler both enjoyable and useful as an educational tool.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is really long. It is telling multiple stories at once. It is about a family who plants native species in their yard to attract the birds and butterflies, and the kids waiting to see a specific type of bird - the Cerulean Warbler. It is also the story of the Cerulean Warbler who has to cross hundreds of miles of sea to get to his destination and all the bumps and bruises along the way. It also wants to be a non-fiction story telling the reader true facts about birds and what they can do to help their populations. Over all the story is nice and the illustrations while at times seem dated, they also at times seem fun and lively. For this reader, this story jumps between stories too often and tries to be all to everyone. I like it, but it has been done better.

[Andréa]

Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

[Emily Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written and illustrated.

[Brittany Cassel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been into bird watching lately and this is such a fun picture books for kids! I love how it depicts the children nature journaling and observing.

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Copy provided by the publisher

Mr. Collard, a prolific writer whose books often have a scientific bent, is also an avid birder. He and his son have a blog, Father Son Birding, and the book Warblers and Woodpeckers is based on their adventures.

In this book, illustrated in soft, nature tinted watercolors, we meet Owen and Nora, who are looking forward to seeing a cerulean warbler in their yard in the spring. They have made their yard an inviting place for the birds to visit, planting native trees and plants so that the birds will have enough insects to eat and places to stay. We also see the migration of the birds from the tropical forests to the US. When a storm threatens the Gulf of Mexico, the children worry that this might cause harm to many of the birds during their travels. Luckily, the cerulean warbler and other birds make it through, and Owen and Nora are able to observe them and take notes in their nature journals. End notes include information on birding, ways to help protect birds, and resource lists that include books and websites.

Like his other excellent titles, Hopping Ahead of Climate Change: Snowshoe Hares, Science and Survival, Insects: The Most Fun Bug Book Ever, and Fire Birds, Mr. Collard uses his talents to combine fiction with lots of information about environmental issues. This picture book is for younger readers than most of his books, but still presents information in a way that is easy to grasp. I'm a big proponent of teaching children about nature from a very young age; I have a bee garden in my library and have worked with the local parks department to donate native trees to the park behind my house. It's good to see a picture book that espouses environmental responsibility in such an engaging way.

[Ami Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

lovely, educational and enjoyable quick read with kids.