You and the Bowerbird

by Maria Gianferrari, Maris Wicks (Illustrator)

Follow the Satin Bowerbird as he searches for the perfect welcome mat for his new home, in this delightfully colorful and action-packed nonfiction tale by award winning author Maria Gianferrari, and illustrated by comic-star Maris Wicks.

Just on the edge of the rainforest,

Between your house and the trees,

Bowerbirds collect, pillage, and steal!

They swoop through the air,

And creep around the forest floor,

Searching for pretty objects everywhere…

Genres: Picture Books, Birds, Nonfiction, Animals, Nature, Childrens, Science Nature

42 pages, Hardcover

First published August 15, 2023

About the author

Bird nerd; nature and animal lover; writer of fiction and nonfiction picture books.

pennyandjelly.com

#pennyandjelly on Instagram

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young girl observes one of Australia's satin bowerbirds in this engaging work of picture book natural history from author Maria Gianferrari and illustrator Maris Wicks. As the girl watches from her treehouse, Satin gathers blue objects with which to adorn his bower, and thereby attract Pea, a pea-green female. When his bower is raided multiple times by an older male named Pirate, as well as some juveniles, and all his treasures stolen, the girl lends a hand in restoring Satin's bower to its previous beautiful state, leading to a happy outcome for Satin and Pea...

You and the Bowerbird is the twelfth picture book I have read from this author, whose other work in this vein include titles such as Coyote Moon and Hawk Rising . As it happens, it is my fondness for Gianferrari's books that led me to track this one down, as I was not previously familiar with the illustrator, nor had ever heard of the satin bowerbird before. I am glad that I did, as this species is really quite fascinating! They're rather like magpies, in that they collect objects, but also unique, in that those objects are frequently blue. As someone who loves that color, I approve! The narrative here is a little bit more personal and humorous, than in some of the author's other books about animals, with a girl character with whom young readers can identify, and a process of avian courtship that is appealing and age appropriate. An afterword gives more information about the satin bowerbird, filling in some additional facts not given in the main narrative. Although the artwork didn't strongly appeal to me, being a little too cartoon-like in style for my taste, it was colorful and engaging, and is likely to draw the attention of the target audience. All in all, this is one I would recommend to young bird lovers, and to anyone seeking children's books about these unique birds.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maria Gianferrari’s You and the Bowerbird details the efforts of Satin, a male bowerbird in the Australian rainforest, as observed by a child who captures the bird’s activity in a field journal. Satin works to build and decorate an eye-catching nest to help him find a mate. The book follows his quest to locate just the right blue items like socks, buttons, straws, and bottlecaps and put them in place to dress up his nest to capture the attention of the beautiful green female the child calls Pea. Plenty of accessible information and rich vocabulary accompanied by fabulous illustrations make this a fun and learning-filled read. I plan to include this as a readaloud when my first grade readers are studying animals and the homes that they build. I think they’ll find the bowerbird’s nesting behavior fascinating.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually knew nothing about bowerbirds when I put this book on hold. Not sure if I had ever even heard of a bowerbird which is such a shame, because bowerbirds are awesome?!

This creative nonfiction picture book explores the life of a male bowerbird, and specifically its complicated mating practices. Male bowerbirds will build elaborate bowers -- structures on the ground -- using natural and found blue materials to attract females. But it isn't easy, other male bowerbirds will try their best to steal materials for their own bowers.

Creatively handled, a young naturalist is observing the bowerbirds on the edge of the Australian rainforest and keeping notes of their routines. The resulting book is one full of adventure and romance and humor. It's unbelievably readable and super informative.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book as an adult reader for the AR Diamond Book Award. I like the illustrations on the cover, but I think it will only attract readers who already love birds or birding. The story was crammed with what felt like lots of information on nest building and attracting a mate. This book was put into the Easy Reader section of my library, but it feels very much like a Non-Fiction book. If you're into birds--this might be a cool on for you to check out.

[Aolund · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better for a one-on-one read (as opposed to group/storytime), this book had a pleasing "comic-style" format that will help get kids ready for reading graphic novels. A little confusing to track which bowerbird character is which, but generally a sweet celebration of bowerbirds.

Themes: Birds
Age range: Kindergarten-Elementary

[Reshamad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Early elementary children's picture book about the Australian Bowerbird. With simple illustrations but vibrant blue colors, the author and illustrator draws out the very interesting habitat of the Bowerbirds. Fun read for the younger audiences!

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple information, beautifully presented. Makes a US citizen like myself wish we had satin bowerbirds in the US! Such an interesting and beautiful bird, with such an interesting talent. A little more information and a short bibliography round out the book.

[Michele Knott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pillaging, stealing, decorating, and designing! All words that describe the daily life of a satin bowerbird!

[Grg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little confusing, I'm still not sure what a "bower" even is, but the art has so much humor and personality that I smiled the whole way through.

[Jeani · Rating 3 out of 5]

I knew nothing about these funny birds until I read this book and the non-fiction info at the back of the book. Really neat!

[Alicia Meyers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous non-fiction tale that feels like fiction & brings you into the beauty of the Bowerbird!