The Birdwatchers - Hardcover

Simon James

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0763616761 ISBN 13: 9780763616762

Publisher: Candlewick, 2002

Synopsis

A grandfather shares with his grandchild the quiet wonder of birdwatching - and a wry talent for telling a tall tale.


"When I go birdwatching, things happen," Granddad tells little Jess. Sometimes, he says, while he’s drawing pictures of the birds, they draw
pictures of him. And sometimes they help him out by finding their own names in his bird book. "Birds are amazing," says Granddad, but Jess isn’t so sure. So one day she goes birdwatching with Granddad to see for herself.

With expressive line-and-wash drawings, Simon James captures the leafy grandeur of the outdoors and the warm, special rapport between a child and a granddad, illustrating once again the huge happiness to be found in little things.

About this title

Review:

Things happen when Jess's granddad goes bird watching. Sometimes, when he makes drawings of the birds, they make drawings of him, too. And when he can't find their names in the bird book, his obliging feathered friends help him out. Well, at least this is the story Granddad tells Jess. Intrigued, she just has to find out for herself. The first thing Jess notices when they arrive in the woods is... nothing. Not a bird in sight, even when she uses Granddad's binoculars. But by day's end, Jess has seen plenty of birds--including a pair of dancing penguins who share her sandwich.

Simon James's (Dear Mr. Blueberry, Leon and Bob, etc.) dry comic timing is simply flawless in this warm, thoroughly appealing picture book. Expressive ink and watercolor illustrations capture the gentle balance between make-believe and real, most poignantly when we see a couple of penguins unobtrusively waddling after Jess and her granddad as they make their way home. (Ages 4 to 8) --Emilie Coulter

About the Author:

Simon James is the author-illustrator of many acclaimed books for children, including THE WILD WOODS, DAYS LIKE THIS, and LEON AND BOB, which was named a NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW Best Illustrated Book of the Year. Simon James says of his work, "I like to capture a large world and at the same time give the reader the sense of being drawn in to an intimate moment or place."

About this edition

• Publisher: Candlewick
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0763616761
• ISBN 13: 9780763616762
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32