RUBY'S BIRDS

A young girl learns how to bird-watch
from her neighbor, then teaches her family.

Ruby, a black girl with afro puffs
and a missing front tooth, likes to spice things up when it’s “too quiet” at
home. When her neighbor, Eva, hears Ruby making noise, she invites Ruby to the
park—Central Park. When they get to the woods there, Eva is quiet, looking up,
using binoculars, frozen—but smiling. Ruby starts singing again, and a
frustrated Eva sits her down to tell her about the golden-winged warbler she
was looking at, a bird she’d only seen back home in Costa Rica. They try to
find him again, staying quiet and paying attention. On Sunday, Ruby begs her
family to go to Central Park during their regular family time. She leads them
into the woods and shows them how to watch, quiet and still. Her efforts are
rewarded when she sees a warbler. Dávila’s illustrations, done with the abundant
green and brown of nature and splashes of colorful clothing against ample white
space, depict caring relationships and communities. With a bird on each spread
and a key in the back, it serves as a Where’s Waldo–type introduction to
birding guides, one readers can return to again and again. A bird poster and an
endnote addressed to children round out the package.

A good story, perfect for bird
lovers and likely to entice the uninitiated. (Picture book. 4-8)