The Woman Who Turned Children Into Birds

“Go on. Be happy. Off you fly!” A charming tale from a beloved storyteller and award-winning illustrator urges readers of all ages to take chances and find joy. Nanty Solo is new in town and claims she can turn children into birds. Terrified parents forbid the idea, but the children want to fly-they want it very much-and they do. One by one, they approach Nanty Solo. One by one, they are transformed until the sky over town teems with rooks and goldfinches, parakeets and sparrows. The adults take one look and cry, “Get out of that sky this very minute!” But the sight of their offspring-set free to soar, hope, and explore-soon has the grown-ups wondering what it might be like to have wings to fly and a beak to sing.

The lilting, dreamy tale, told in David Almond’s inimitable voice and playfully illustrated, assures us it’s never too late to say yes to life.

When The Storks Came Home (Volume 2) (Nature’s Wisdom, 2)

When The Storks Came Home is a charming, fictionalised retelling of the successful reintroduction of the white stork at the Knepp Estate, a UK native bird which has been brought back from extinction.

Flock

Lunch turns into bird food when a little girl starts feeding birds at the bus stop. First, a pigeon she names Serious comes pecking, and then Fancy and Sleepy gather to gobble up the offerings. But what happens when more and more birds want to join in on the feast? And what are all these fantastical birds doing in the city, anyway?

A History Of Underwear With Professor Chicken

Packed with information, hilariously but accurately (well…except for the chickens) illustrated, Hannah Holt and Korwin Briggs’ A History of Underwear with Professor Chicken is sure to wedge its way into the annals of history-based picture books. From Paleolithic loincloths to Henry VIII’s wives wearing underwear on their heads to Mary Walker, a civil war surgeon who was arrested for wearing men’s underwear and clothing to better work on patients, this book surveys the vast and fascinating history of our most private clothing. Modeled by chickens, we trace the history of underwear from the very first discovery- a paleolithic nomad whose body was found completely preserved in ice. From there, we look across time and culture in this completely accessible, new take on boring old nonfiction picture books.

Free

With Paloma’s quick and creative thinking, she’s able to outwit the bureaucracy and come up with a solution: they free the birds from their cages, and while Paloma and the ringmaster drive across the border in their truck, the birds fly overhead! When the circus is reunited on the other side, Paloma suggests the birds don’t need cages―they can fly free.

189 Canaries

In the nineteenth century, a caged canary that sings in the silver mines travels with a canary dealer from the Harz Mountains of Germany to a new home in Poughkeepsie, New York. Includes notes on the history of canaries.

Wounded Falcons

Adrián is always in trouble, at school and at home, while Santiago gets along quite well. But they are friends. When Adrián finds a wounded bird in an abandoned lot in the midst of the city, things begin to change. Taking care of the bird, learning all about it, discovering that it is a falcon, loving it — and accepting what this love means — gives Adrián a chance to show others a glimpse of who he truly is. Santiago has always known that Adrián has a big heart, and his steadfast friendship is also the reason Adrián has a chance to heal.