The winter bird /

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Forest animals help an injured nightingale survive the winter in a comforting story of friendship and resilience, lyrically told and gorgeously illustrated.

As the days grow shorter and the air becomes colder, the spring birds fly south for winter--all except for a nightingale with a broken wing. Unable to fly, the nightingale worries about how to prepare for weather it's never had to experience before. Luckily, the forest animals who are used to frosty conditions help the nightingale navigate the cold as its wing heals. Though the unfamiliar season proves challenging, and even a little scary at times, the nightingale discovers there's beauty to be found in even the harshest weather--and with that comes newfound gratitude for the return of spring. Kate Banks weaves a story of perseverance and kindness, brought beautifully to life by Suzie Mason's stunning artwork.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Kirkus Book Review

A self-proclaimed "spring" bird with a broken wing discovers winter. Lyrical language describes the change of seasons happening around the injured nightingale: "The big brown bear lumbered off to its winter den….The geese were the first to leave, rising into the pale gray sky." Used to the sun on its feathers, the nightingale worries what will happen to it, but the other animals are kind, the rabbit sharing its knowledge and its underground den when it begins to snow, the squirrel sharing food, the woodpeckers teaching it about the children and their feeders, etc. Gradually, the nightingale learns how to survive the winter…and even enjoy it after a blizzard. Finally, spring arrives once again, and, its wing now mended, the nightingale sings as it takes off into the sky, the other animals looking on. Mason's digital illustrations combine the impressions of watercolors with the realism of oils, and though her very slightly anthropomorphic animals are a bit kinder than their real-life counterparts, they are adorable. She uses color to masterful effect to reflect the weather, changing seasons, and mood, the spreads sometimes in washed-out grays, other times tinged yellow by the setting sun or the bright blues and white of a sunny day after a snowstorm. The intense green of the final spread is spring itself. (This book was reviewed digitally.) The premise may be unrealistic, but this is nonetheless sweet. (Picture book. 3-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Kate Banks (1960-2024) was the award-winning author of more than forty books for children and young adults, including Lion Lullaby , illustrated by Lauren Tobia, Noah Builds an Ark , illustrated by John Rocco, and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award winner And If the Moon Could Talk , illustrated by Georg Hallensleben.

Suzie Mason enjoys drawing lovely things--from animals to fairies to multicolored pumpkins--and using bright colors to create happy artwork. She is the New York Times best-selling illustrator of I've Loved You Since Forever by Hoda Kotb. Suzie Mason lives in England with her husband, son, and cat.