Bird House: A Board Book

by Blanca Gomez, Blanca Gomez (Illustrator)

Overview

A grandmother and grandchild nurse an injured bird together in this touching story about caring for all creatures, the wonder of nature, and letting go—now in board book!

On a snowy day, a grandmother and grandchild find an injured bird.

They take it home and care for it until it can fly around the living room. It is fantastic—just like everything at Abuela’s house!

But a fantastic moment is also bittersweet, for the little bird’s recovery means that it’s time to let it fly free.

Drawing inspiration from a formative childhood experience, Blanca Gómez crafts a deceptively simple story that is morally and emotionally resonant and brimming with love, wonder, and a deep respect for the natural world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781419744099
Publisher:	Abrams Appleseed
Publication date:	05/02/2023
Pages:	24
Sales rank:	532,043
Product dimensions:	6.50(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	3 Months to 3 Years

About the Author

Blanca Gómez was born in Madrid. When she was a kid, she spent a lot of time at her grandma’s. There she ate bread with olive oil for breakfast, ran away from the cat in the corridor, and bumped her head on the corner of the table quite often. So it makes sense that the first book she both wrote and illustrated talks about her grandma.

Editorial Reviews

"The concise, well-worded text sets the tone and tells the story, while leaving plenty of space for the expressive digital illustrations to work their magic. Viewers can feel the chill in the winter-walk scenes and the brightness when spring arrives, but the warmth between the child and her grandmother is evident throughout the book." —Booklist

**STARRED REVIEW**
"Spanish author/illustrator Gómez’s semiautobiographical tribute to her own abuela is a charming window into an idyllic childhood infused with love for all living things. This little gem elicits a sense of deep-seated comfort and refuge for these uncertain times." —Kirkus Reviews

**STARRED REVIEW**
"A loving intergenerational relationship between a light brown–skinned narrator and their abuela is the heartening center of this tender narrative. A refreshing ending imparts a message of the significance of natural preservation and respecting animals’ agency." —Publishers Weekly

"Spare, simple, first-person text, narrated from the child’s point of view, leaves room for the sweet, collagelike illustrations to pull readers’ attention into the story and hold them in this magical space. The illustrations exude the warmth and coziness of a dear relationship between a young child and loving caregiver, and this cherished relationship is enhanced by the new friend they make together."—The Horn Book Magazine

From the Publisher

"The concise, well-worded text sets the tone and tells the story, while leaving plenty of space for the expressive digital illustrations to work their magic. Viewers can feel the chill in the winter-walk scenes and the brightness when spring arrives, but the warmth between the child and her grandmother is evident throughout the book."

Booklist

"Spare, simple, first-person text, narrated from the child’s point of view, leaves room for the sweet, collagelike illustrations to pull readers’ attention into the story and hold them in this magical space. The illustrations exude the warmth and coziness of a dear relationship between a young child and loving caregiver, and this cherished relationship is enhanced by the new friend they make together."

The Horn Book Magazine

★ 06/14/2021

A loving intergenerational relationship between a light brown–skinned narrator and their abuela is the heartening center of this tender narrative by author-illustrator Gómez. When the pair find an injured yellow bird in the winter, they nurse it back to health, keeping it indoors in a domed cage as it heals, and then release it into the city skies. But a special guest awaits in the spring—as does a surprise that Abuela has built just for the occasion. Abuela’s gentle wisdom takes center stage (“You are cured now, little bird, you have to fly free”) amid spare prose (“Snow melted into spring”). Detailed, richly colored paper collage and digital illustrations highlight appealing paper textures, lending dimension to domestic spreads featuring dot-eyed humans. A refreshing ending imparts a message of the significance of natural preservation and respecting animals’ agency. Ages 4–8. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

★ 2021-03-02
A little yellow bird is grounded in the snow with a broken leg when a child and their abuela rescue it.

Cupping it gently in her hands, Abuela takes the bird home and sets its leg while her grandchild eagerly looks on. Settling the bird in a domed cage, they both care for it until, soon, the bird is flying around the house—to the child’s delight and the cat’s frustration. The day comes to release the healed bird, and the child waves it on its way as it flies over the city. But one spring day a familiar sight greets them—their winged friend has returned. Although the child yearns to keep it, Abuela soothingly reminds her grandchild that the bird belongs to itself and has the right to fly free. But Abuela constructs a sturdy birdhouse from a blueprint and mounts it beside the balcony door—an implicit invitation for future visits. Spanish author/illustrator Gómez’s semiautobiographical tribute to her own abuela is a charming window into an idyllic childhood infused with love for all living things. The simple, flowing first-person narrative flits from page to page in a gentle lilting commentary on harmony and respect. Gómez’s carefully constructed images, from the well-tended profusion of plants to the child-sized chair and mouse toy, are whimsically detailed and subtly compelling. Both child and Abuela have light-brown skin. A Spanish-language edition, Un pájaro en casa, publishes simultaneously. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-16-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)

This little gem elicits a sense of deep-seated comfort and refuge for these uncertain times. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews