The Bird House - Hardcover

CYNTHIA RYLANT is the acclaimed author of many beloved books for young people, including the Mr. Putter & Tabby series, the novel Missing May, which received the Newbery Medal, and the Little Whistle series. She lives on an island in Puget Sound, Washington. ARTHUR HOWARD is best known as the illustrator of Cynthia Rylant's Mr. Putter & Tabby series. He is also the illustrator of Kathi Appelt's Bubba and Beau series and has written and illustrated three picture books of his own: Hoodwinked; When I Was Five, an ABA's Pick of the Lists and a Crayola Kids Best Book; and Cosmo Zooms, an IRA-CBC Children's Choice. He lives in New York City.

Grade 1-4-A beautiful house in the country that is a haven for birds becomes a refuge for an abandoned girl. The troubled child, who is "without a home or family," happens upon the place and is intrigued by the sparrows, wrens, goldfinches, and other winged beasts that inhabit the environs. Distrustful of humans, she hides when the old woman who lives there appears. The birds seem to have other plans, however, and it is through their actions that the child is brought to the old woman's attention and welcomed into her home. The author skillfully conveys the human connection to the secrets of the natural world. Moser's exquisite watercolors are an excellent match for Rylant's spare prose, a pairing that was also successful in this team's Appalachia: The Voices of Sleeping Birds (Harcourt, 1991). Double-page spreads of the verdant landscape are large and detailed enough to draw viewers into the magical scenes, while single-page close-ups of birds and humans provide a sense of watchful suspense and add visual rhythm to the layout. Each painting is bordered with a thin blue line and set on buff-colored paper, adding quiet elegance to the overall design. Readers will enjoy losing themselves in the mystery of the story and the magic of the illustrations.
Barbara Kiefer, Teachers College, Columbia University, NY
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