Book Description
for The Birdwatchers by Simon James
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
Jess’s granddad is a birdwatcher, and a bit of a tall-tale teller to boot. To hear him talk, the birds are as interested in drawing him as he is in drawing them, and one day all kinds of birds got together to sing the dawn chorus just so he could record it for her. “Birds are amazing,” he tells her. And so she decides it’s time to see them for herself. At first her birdwatching trip with Granddad is a disappointment—she can’t see anything. But once they are inside the birdwatchng hut, all kinds of birds appear! Jess can now share in her granddad’s enthusiasm for birdwatching. But that’s not all she can share in. “Granddad, I liked it best when the dancing penguins came and shared my sandwich,” she tells him. “Dancing penguins?” he replies. “I must have been looking the other way.” Once again, Simon James’sdroll, understated humor infuses both the words and watercolor art of his story. (Ages 4-7)
CCBC Choices 2003 . © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2003. Used with permission.