Sometimes, when you’re reading a book with your child, you don’t have to say a word.
Birds by Kevin Henkes, Laura Dronzek
The cliche about a picture saying a thousand words? You have to experience it to believe it. And during one of my recent trips to the children’s section at our library, I was lucky to stumble upon one such experience.
We happened to find the book, Birds, created by Kevin Henkes and Laura Dronzek. And let me tell you, it’s a visual treat from start to finish.
Illustrated by Laura Dronzek, vibrant colors fill its pages. Bright acrylic paintings with thick black outlines depict different kinds of birds in various settings throughout the book. They’re simple, beautiful images with no intricate detailing or embellishments. But, from the moment you open the book to the time you turn over the last page, you’ll probably have a hard time catching your breath, as each page and the visuals on it tell a hundred stories.
This simple children’s book with sparse text and generous use of primary colors will appeal to very young babies, pre-schoolers and beginner readers alike. Very few kinds of books effectively combine all the elements that are appropriate for these different age groups, and Birds is one such exceptional book.
Read to Your Baby
Narrated from a little girl’s point of view, the book is about her observation of and interaction with birds. She appears to be fascinated by their form, number, colors, shapes and habits and wonders what the sky would look like if birds painted the sky with their tail feathers as they flew. She observes how they never seem to move when you keep looking at them and when you look away for just a second, ”they were gone.” Sparingly used, yet compelling words convey the child’s curiosity, wonder, imagination and longing to be more like a bird. The book ends with her innocent and charming declaration that although she can’t fly like a bird, she can do something else that brings her closer to the birds that captivate her imagination…
Reading to Kids
Reasons to share this book with your child -
*You can enjoy it with a child of any age – the white background and bold images with minimal text are easy on the eye, yet very hard to ignore
* It gives you and your child an opportunity to appreciate art – colors, forms, shapes without being overwhelmed by intricate details or too many images
* Since there isn’t really a plot or story, there is tremendous scope for you to engage your child in a conversation – ask questions, count the birds on each page, name them, wonder what a bird might do next, identify favorites, find out the type of birds. The images are simple enough to be traced out for your child to color in on a rainy afternoon.
* It could serve as a great introduction to birds for pre-schoolers, encouraging them to observe birds everywhere.
