Ivy Bird is a child whose surname fits her perfectly. She loves birds and her activities all day reflect her interest and affection. Just like her feathered friends, she rises with the sun. Readers can see her pet bird, the design of hummingbirds on her comforter, and bird pictures she has made that are hanging on the wall of her room. The language of the text plays with bird imagery; "Ivy takes flight" as she leaves the house. When she has a tea party in the garden, she is "foraging in cups of sweet nectar." Ivy has a cape that makes her look like a magpie and a swim cover-up that is flamingo pink. Everything about her actions, her appearance, and the images and text are woven together with bird details.
Two pages in the back matter show various birds that appear in the story and give details about them. Young readers can use these pages to go back through the story and identify the birds on each page, as well as looking at the ways Ivy mimics the birds. She gathers bits of sparkly blue treasures like the bowerbird, swims like a duck, and stuffs feathers in her belt to form a tail as fancy as a lyrebird. Just before bed she hoots like an owl in the moonlight.
If you know any youngsters who are bird lovers or you want to encourage an interest in nature among some young readers, then this book is perfect for your needs. The colorful illustrations encourage a look-and-find game of identifying all the birds, the storyline shares a young girl's joy with the feathery creatures around her, and the back matter pulls it all together and offers a chance for discussion of various bird traits. Although this is recommended for ages 3-6 (and is good for that age range due to the limited amount of text on each page), it would also be a wonderful mentor text for a writing lesson.
I was lucky enough to win a copy of this book in a TeachingBooks.net giveaway. It was published April 7, 2020, so you should be able to find it wherever you shop for books.
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