Penguin the Magpie. The Odd Little Bird Who Saved a Family

by Cameron Bloom and Bradley Trevor Grieve

This was a dual story: the author’s wife fell off a second floor balcony, cracked her skull in two places, and broke her spine, thereby becoming paralyzed from the arms down. Soon after that, their sons found a baby magpie and the family chose to nurse it back to health.

Many, many wonderful photos accompanied by words.  At the end is an essay by the author and one by his wife, who writes directly to others who have dealt with a spinal cord injury.

Quotes

“You don’t have to be superhuman to survive the bad times and you can’t always be at your best.   But even when things look their worst, you can still feel positive about the future.  Being optimistic is simply a choice made possible by being creative and proactive.  The means to achieving the breakthrough you need may be a lot closer than you think."     p. 146

“A happy ending begins with having faith in your own story, and looking for ways to create joy for yourself and others.  Time and time again Penguin showed us what a difference it can make just by giving our family and friends a reason to smile when they see us.”      p. 149

“Most importantly, Penguin taught us that helping others feel better is the easiest and best way to help yourself feel better."      p. 162

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The Lost Spells

by Robert MacFarlane and Jackie Morris

Oh my goodness, what a beauty of a book!  Just exquisite.  It is filled with watercolor paintings of animals, birds, nature.  Each painting is accompanied by a delightful, insightful poem.  Some are a single page, others several pages long. 

There are poems for fox, moth, daisy, jackdaw, jay, gorse, swifts, goldfinch, oak, snow hare, barn owl, heartwood, curlew, egret, grey seal, gannet, thrift, woodpecker, beech, swallow, and silver birch.  I almost think I learned more about the character and attributes of these animals and plants from the poems than from reading descriptions in a science book or online.  I loved, loved, loved jackdaw, thrift, and woodpecker.  All were great, though.

Here's a video showing the pages, but the beauty of the books is created by both images and words (another version of images in the hands of Robert MacFarlane). 



Best to see and read it in person, holding it in your own hands!

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Home

by Isabelle Simler, translated by Vineet Lal

This is a beautiful picture book, one appropriate for both children and adults, with bright illustrations of homes of various animals, birds, and insects.  I was familiar with some of the animals but others were new to me:  the comet moth, European fan worm, hummingbird, satin bowerbird, case-making caddisfly, diving bell spider, elf owl, Eurasian harvest mouse, red ovenbirds, and many others. 

The illustrations for each animal fills two pages.  They are less illustrations and more drawings.  The colors are rich, deep, and brights, as appropriate for each animal.  Accompanying the drawings are brief poem-like descriptions of the animals and their homes.  At the end of the book is a paragraph about each animal, its locality, and its home. 

I can imagine this book being a good jumping off point for further research into the animals, especially for upper elementary students.

Truly, a beautiful book.

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The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year

Written by Margaret Renkl 
Illustrated by Billy Renkl

I think Margaret Renkl could be considered a patron saint of nature!  This is a beauty of a book, from the writing, to the topics, to the illustrations—all are wonderful.  Renkl writes with poignancy and grace about the wonders and delights of the natural world while not ignoring the sorrows and challenges plants, animals, and insects face.  Her writings have encouraged me to slow down, be more observant, look more closely at the outdoor world, and be appreciative.  The essays follow the seasons, a few pages for each.  Each essay is accompanied by a beautiful collage.

This is a sampling of Renkl's beautiful use of words.

In writing of the remnants of snakeroot plant flowers, she called them “fluffs of botanical celebration.”   p.xv ¶2

“ I fell in love with the way the peeling bark and bare limbs of the sycamore reveal a ghost tree reaching for the sky....”   p. 30 ¶3

It “might have been snow in the diamond air” of a winter morning.   p. 35 ¶1

“In the avian world, a grub is an engagement ring.”   p.l48 ¶1

Who knew?!  “Just a whiff of it [the wet soil of the drenched garden] will flood you with a feeling of well-being.  The microbes in freshly turned soil stimulate serotonin production, working on the human brain to same way antidepressants do. ”   p. 78 ¶2

“... In a wet world, deadfall and soil erupt into fungi.   Delicate whorls of polypores make a bouquet of fallen pines.  Bright elf cups are scattered across the leaf litter as though a parade has passed by.  Glowing angel wing mushrooms fruit on the hemlock like a bridal veil trailing along the path.   Chicken of the woods make yellow and orange ruffles fit for a square dancer’s skirt.  Oh, their marvelous fungi names!  Firerug inkcap, turkey tail, witch’s hat, stinkhorn, jelly fungus, shaggy scarlet cup!”   p. 162 ¶4

An insight on an aging body:   “The accruing indignities of a body that is no longer predictable makes it hard not to ponder what other burdens might lie ahead.”   p. 190 ¶2

"Autumn light is the loveliest light there is.  Soft, forgiving, it makes all the world a brightened dream.  Dust motes catch fire, drifting down from the trees and rising from the stirred soil, floating over lawns and woodland paths and ordinary roofs and parking lots.  It’s an unchoreographed aerial dance, a celebration of what happens when light marries earth and sky.”   p. 203 ¶1

On growing older:  “Now I understand that every day I’m given is as real as life will ever get.  Now I understand that we are guaranteed nothing, that our days have always been running out.”   p. 204 ¶3

“In light, the horizon extends before us, a tableau of endless possibility, while darkness allows all manner of doubts to burble up....  How much easier it is to give in to gloom, even dejection, when it is the darkness that feels endless.”  
p. 252 ¶2

Enjoy!
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