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Love Birds
From Jane Yolen, the author of the Caldecott Award–winning book Owl Moon , comes a friendship story about a bird-loving boy who meets a bird-loving girl in the picture book Love Birds , featuring illustrations by Anna Wilson.
Jon loved to listen to birdsong. Bright cardinals, cawing crows, chatty chickadees, wrens, and jays; barn swallows and doves’ lullabies. He especially loved to listen to owls.
One night when an owl hoots, throaty and lovely, the boy hoots back in a duet. And when another owl responds from the nearest pines, the bird-loving boy discovers it’s not a bird at all. Sometimes the best song is the sound of a new friend.
“Feathers and friendship make for a good pairing in this gentle ode to appreciating both.”— Kirkus Reviews
Jon loved to listen to birdsong. Bright cardinals, cawing crows, chatty chickadees, wrens, and jays; barn swallows and doves’ lullabies. He especially loved to listen to owls.
One night when an owl hoots, throaty and lovely, the boy hoots back in a duet. And when another owl responds from the nearest pines, the bird-loving boy discovers it’s not a bird at all. Sometimes the best song is the sound of a new friend.
“Feathers and friendship make for a good pairing in this gentle ode to appreciating both.”— Kirkus Reviews
32 pages, Hardcover
First published November 8, 2022
1 person is currently reading
115 people want to read
About the author
Jane Yolen
987 books3,245 followersJane Yolen is a novelist, poet, fantasist, journalist, songwriter, storyteller, folklorist, and children’s book author who has written more than three hundred books. Her accolades include the Caldecott Medal, two Nebula Awards, the World Fantasy Award, three Mythopoeic Awards, the Kerlan Award, two Christopher Awards, and six honorary doctorate degrees from colleges and universities in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Born and raised in New York City, the mother of three and the grandmother of six, Yolen lives in Massachusetts and St. Andrews, Scotland.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
December 3, 2022
Absolutely adore the warm writing, sweet storytelling, and beautiful illustrations, but why does a book about friends who love to listen and watch birds have end in them getting married one day? I get that the author wrote this book for her late husband’s best friend and his wife, but it isn’t clear if the story is a fictional creation or a retelling of their true childhood friends to lovers experience. If the latter, how sweet! If not, though, I feel like it’s unrealistic to portray two kids who are childhood friends growing up and falling in love. It happens, but not often enough to make it worth giving kids a skewed expectation of childhood love. But despite the implication of the ending, I really did adore this book.
February 6, 2025
Lovely book!
March 14, 2023
A friendship story about a bird-loving boy who meets a bird-loving girl. Jon loved to listen to birdsong. Bright cardinals, cawing crows, chatty chickadees, wrens, and jays; barn swallows and doves' lullabies. He especially loved to listen to owls. One night when an owl hoots, throaty and lovely, the boy hoots back in a duet. And when another owl responds from the nearest pines, the bird-loving boy discovers it's not a bird at all. Sometimes the best song is the sound of a new friend.
I would display this book in the classroom library, read it during circle time during a time of the year when the birds mentioned in the book are returning to the area, and use it in the curriculum when the theme is birds.
I would display this book in the classroom library, read it during circle time during a time of the year when the birds mentioned in the book are returning to the area, and use it in the curriculum when the theme is birds.
June 19, 2023
I love birds, too! And this was a really cute story with some really interesting art. But somehow it didn't work for me.
The story is really adorable: two somewhat antisocial kids find each other when they are out in the woods at night looking for owls (they both are making owl calls, and think they are tracking an owl, but they are just tracking the other kid). I did think it was odd that these little kids were out alone all night and their parents weren't wondering where they were, but okayfine. The kids become besties, and in the end paper you can see them get engaged, get married, buy a house, and have children of their own, and that is all so heartwarming!!
But, although I loved the art, it was confusing, and seemed to be depicting late fall and winter scenes, although the text spoke of late summer, and the birds shown are the birds I see in summer (granted, these birds migrate south and this book could have been set farther south where robins and swallows over-winter - but that doesn't change my confusion over the text saying "summer" when the art seemed to show a field of snow with Canada geese flying overhead either south or north, can't tell which).
The birds are painted accurately, and the text accurately describes their habit and calls, so I loved that. But I was so thrown off by the leafless trees and white ground that I could not enjoy this book. My brain would not stop thinking: "but, wait, what?? is it winter now?? did I miss a page???" I think the artist and the author should have spent some more time talking before putting this book together.
I was also disappointed that there wasn't a single note in the book about how the art was created. Usually a picture book will, at the very least, include a line like "the art in this book was created with acrylic, tempera, and mixed media" or something. In the very best books, the artist gets to write a note about their process, similar to the author's note. But in this book: nothing. That didn't affect my rating, because that's a silly thing to rate a book for, but it did disappoint me.
The story is really adorable: two somewhat antisocial kids find each other when they are out in the woods at night looking for owls (they both are making owl calls, and think they are tracking an owl, but they are just tracking the other kid). I did think it was odd that these little kids were out alone all night and their parents weren't wondering where they were, but okayfine. The kids become besties, and in the end paper you can see them get engaged, get married, buy a house, and have children of their own, and that is all so heartwarming!!
But, although I loved the art, it was confusing, and seemed to be depicting late fall and winter scenes, although the text spoke of late summer, and the birds shown are the birds I see in summer (granted, these birds migrate south and this book could have been set farther south where robins and swallows over-winter - but that doesn't change my confusion over the text saying "summer" when the art seemed to show a field of snow with Canada geese flying overhead either south or north, can't tell which).
The birds are painted accurately, and the text accurately describes their habit and calls, so I loved that. But I was so thrown off by the leafless trees and white ground that I could not enjoy this book. My brain would not stop thinking: "but, wait, what?? is it winter now?? did I miss a page???" I think the artist and the author should have spent some more time talking before putting this book together.
I was also disappointed that there wasn't a single note in the book about how the art was created. Usually a picture book will, at the very least, include a line like "the art in this book was created with acrylic, tempera, and mixed media" or something. In the very best books, the artist gets to write a note about their process, similar to the author's note. But in this book: nothing. That didn't affect my rating, because that's a silly thing to rate a book for, but it did disappoint me.
March 20, 2023
I wanted to love Love Birds. And while I liked it well enough, it didn't move me.
Love Birds is quite sweet and gentle. It’s about a lonely, shy boy who finds happiness amongst the birds of the forest, happily listening to their singing and calls. Upon answering the call of an owl, he instead finds a friend and a lifelong relationship. Again, sweet and gentle.
But then I have to ask myself why Love Birds is teeming with dark, dreary images. Yes, the forest can be dark. But it can also have brilliant shafts of sunlight and colors of every hue in flora, fauna, and his beloved birds.
I would have been much happier if that sad lonely little boy found a bit of joy in that sunlight and color as well finding as a friend.
3 Stars. I'm saddened to be disappointed by Love Birds.
Love Birds is quite sweet and gentle. It’s about a lonely, shy boy who finds happiness amongst the birds of the forest, happily listening to their singing and calls. Upon answering the call of an owl, he instead finds a friend and a lifelong relationship. Again, sweet and gentle.
But then I have to ask myself why Love Birds is teeming with dark, dreary images. Yes, the forest can be dark. But it can also have brilliant shafts of sunlight and colors of every hue in flora, fauna, and his beloved birds.
I would have been much happier if that sad lonely little boy found a bit of joy in that sunlight and color as well finding as a friend.
3 Stars. I'm saddened to be disappointed by Love Birds.
March 17, 2024
I really loved the beautiful illustrations in this book, and loved the story of two lonely young birders finding each other and finding friendship. Though I understand that this is a semi-biographical story, I have to agree with other reviewers that the romance aspect of it felt a little out of place in a children’s story. I think the illustrated part of the story could easily have concluded with their growing friendship. If the author felt it necessary to include the rest of the story, that part could have been written as an authors note at the end, something that adults would be likely to read, but children wouldn’t.
January 19, 2023
The story is lovely and the illustrations are beautiful in this book about listening to birdsong and finding a friend who shares a common passion. I love that it's loosely based on a couple that the author knows and was also inspired by not only the author's passion for birds but also seeing that passion lived out in some of her loved ones (family and friends).
Some of the pictures are fairly small, especially of the birds, so this book is probably best for one-on-one or shared with a very small group.
Some of the pictures are fairly small, especially of the birds, so this book is probably best for one-on-one or shared with a very small group.
February 12, 2023
Love Birds by Jane Yolen
Shared love of birds can open the door to new, true friendship and a happier life. Fond memories of watching the owls across the street with my neighbor, the thrill of watching them fly off in the dusk, and the geese landing on the little pond, noisily calling in their companions. Illustrations are beautiful as well as the lesson in being oneself and finding friends. Hopeful, positive book! * In the same theme of friends finding friends, we also enjoyed Patricia Polacco’s STICKS AND STONES and Nora Morrison’s AGATHA AND THE ANGLE FISH.
Be yourself. <3
Shared love of birds can open the door to new, true friendship and a happier life. Fond memories of watching the owls across the street with my neighbor, the thrill of watching them fly off in the dusk, and the geese landing on the little pond, noisily calling in their companions. Illustrations are beautiful as well as the lesson in being oneself and finding friends. Hopeful, positive book! * In the same theme of friends finding friends, we also enjoyed Patricia Polacco’s STICKS AND STONES and Nora Morrison’s AGATHA AND THE ANGLE FISH.
Be yourself. <3
June 11, 2023
BEAUTIFUL illustrations by Anna Wilson! The detail on the birds is simply spectacular. So much to notice in all the pictures. The onomatopoeia at the beginning is fun, the storyline is good, and the ending is sweet. I have never read Owl Moon, the companion to this book. I am putting it on hold now!
December 28, 2022
This is the kind of book I would have loved as a kid because I was always a romantic at heart. The blossoming, sweet friendship with the endpapers showing the rest of the story as they grow up is exactly the thing I loved. Plus, add in Yolen's text with lush illustrations and bird sounds and this is a lovely companion of sorts to Owl Moon.
February 28, 2023
Love Birds extends the story begun in Owl Moon. Once again we meet a bird-loving girl, but this time she shares her passion with a bird-loving boy instead of with her father, and in the process discovers a lasting friendship. With her lovely lyrical language, Jane Yolen takes us on a journey that is as much a love letter to birding as it is
April 7, 2023
Companion to the Caldecott award winning title, Owl Moon, this is the story of a young boy Jon who is not much of a talker, but is a good listener, and his adventures in the books listening to and recognizing various birds. One day Jon is in the woods trying to call down the owls, when he hears another birder and discovers a young girl who lives nearby and thus begins a lifelong friendship.
June 11, 2023
Very pretty, okay storytelling, but I think some of the pacing was odd? I thought we’d get more of the owl, less of “they got married.” Would have preferred it to stay within the initial friendship, though it is lovely. The art is lovely and soft, capturing the birds well, and I like the descriptive focus on sound and bird calls.
January 17, 2024
If you love birds, you’ll love this sweet friendship story. Follow Jon, (new to town and slow to make friends) as he follows the sounds and songs of birds. One evening, while walking in the woods, he hears the call of a barred owl. Jon calls back, and he and the owl call to and fro, each drawing closer to the other, until they meet a wonderful surprise. The art in this book is amazing!
January 2, 2025
It was a super sweet and cute book! I loved how the two kids went from strangers to best friends to married and shared a love for birds. It's a great book for kids to read about love in different ways but it's also a great palate cleanser for the adult that has been reading too many chapter books. Also, the illustrations are so pretty!
May 4, 2025
This is my favorite children's book I've come across this year! It has it all...the awkwardness of feeling alone in weirdness only to find someone else who is so similar that you feel at home with them...then grow up with them...then when the words are gone, the illustrations on the last page tell you that they moved onto a new level of loving and sharing a life together! I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!
December 10, 2022
Nice companion to Owl Moon and although I loved the story and enjoyed the illustrations I'm not sure it will find as much teacher love as the other. I can however imagine many science activities related to this. May need to read multiple times to really get the feels.
December 12, 2022
Beautifully illustrated story of a lonely young boy who is adjusting to life in a new town. While looking for owls, he discovers a friend. The two become inseparable and grow together. I appreciate the variety of birds included.
December 27, 2022
Having been a Yolen fan for so many years and a bird lover all of my life, I was thrilled to see this gorgeous and beautifully written book. It's a wonderful read and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who loves children.
October 9, 2022
A warm, gentle story of feathers of friendship.
November 10, 2022
3.5 stars.
November 30, 2022
A sweet story and a nice fictional addition to a science study of birds.
December 10, 2022
A quiet boy meets a girls who likes to listen. A story of friendship and love for birds. Very sweet story.
Read
December 21, 2022Warm illustrations✨
December 27, 2022
Beautiful art, a very sweet story. Great for kids who are listeners.
January 13, 2023
Gorgeous. As a bird lover myself, this book was a salve for my soul. Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous. A beautiful little story and a very sweet backstory.
February 21, 2023
The illustrations are beautiful.
March 3, 2023
The companion book Jane Yolen wrote for Owl Moon, one of the best pictures books, capturing the true emotion of owling. This is also a picture book to be loved by multiple generations.
Read
March 20, 2023delightful book of friendship
based on birdsong
based on birdsong
April 3, 2023
A super cute story about a boy who loves the song of birds, goes on a search for a barred owl, and finds a lifelong friend instead.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews