Bird House

The concise, well-worded text sets the tone and tells the story, while leaving plenty of space for the expressive digital illustrations to work their magic. Viewers can feel the chill in the winter-walk scenes and the brightness when spring arrives, but the warmth between the child and her grandmother is evident throughout the book.

This little gem elicits a sense of deep-seated comfort and refuge for these uncertain times. 

A loving intergenerational relationship between a light brown–skinned narrator and their abuela is the heartening center of this tender narrative by author-illustrator Gómez. When the pair find an injured yellow bird in the winter, they nurse it back to health, keeping it indoors in a domed cage as it heals, and then release it into the city skies. But a special guest awaits in the spring—as does a surprise that Abuela has built just for the occasion. Abuela’s gentle wisdom takes center stage (“You are cured now, little bird, you have to fly free”) amid spare prose (“Snow melted into spring”). Detailed, richly colored paper collage and digital illustrations highlight appealing paper textures, lending dimension to domestic spreads featuring dot-eyed humans. A refreshing ending imparts a message of the significance of natural preservation and respecting animals’ agency. Ages 4–8. [em](Apr.) [/em]

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