A Round of Robins fits in perfectly with our lessons on the lifecycle of robins. While it is accurate regarding the lifecycle, such as building a nest, laying eggs, hatching, growing up, and then starting over, the poetry aspect made it enjoyable. From that perspective, it may be better for an older child, around 9 or 10. After discussing the structure of poems, you could have a child try to write their own. For younger children around kindergarten, it's an excellent way to add information about robins.

Recommended age: 6-8 years

Writing style: A Round of Robins is poetry. The book consists of 16 poems in a variety of styles. Some are short, a mere three lines, while others are longer stanzas. This is definitely a book you will need to read to a child. It uses difficult vocabulary, like incubate, clutch, brood, and rustle.

Lexile score: AD620L
Decoding difficulty: 4/5
Vocabulary difficulty: 5/5
Sentences difficulty: 4/5
Patterns difficulty: 5/5

Illustration style: Colorful, warm, muted images. They are often described as candy-colored. The birds are anthropomorphized, which I didn't like, though it adds to the playfulness and emotions of the various scenes. For instance, a robin, when learning to fly, looks nervous while another robin encourages it forward. Some people may like this; others won't.

Reality-based: Yes. This is a nonfiction book about the lifecycle of robins. ( )

I know a lot of people love Ruzzier’s illustrations, but I have never been a fan, I’m not really sure why. Something about the colors and the faces just doesn’t click for me. However, I have finally found a book with Ruzzier’s illustrations that I can whole-heartedly recommend.

Hesterman’s cheerful verses tell the story of a robin’s life cycle. Beginning with the male frightening other birds away from their chosen nesting site and Mama robin building a nest, the robins raise their first clutch. Hesterman goes into more scientific detail than one might expect, explaining how the mother robin incubates the babies, their development, hatching, and feeding. There are also quiet verses describing the peace of a spring evening, humorous moments as the father robin defends his territory, and delightful language like “fluffs of plump perfection.” The robins grow, fledge, and fly away, and the original parents begin the process all over again, raising a new clutch.

Ruzzier’s illustrations are carefully correct, showing the building of the nest, development of the chicks, and fledging. They’re also funny, with big, cartoon eyes, silly expressions, and all the squabbles of bird life shown in a very human-like way. Some spreads show soft pink, orange, and blue pastel backgrounds, fluffy clouds, and soft stripes of color. These are interspersed with spreads that show the birds, eggs, and nest against a white background, making them pop out of the page. The mother robin dreams of cute baby robins, the blue eggs line up against the page, ready to hatch.

Verdict: This would make a delightful addition to a bird storytime or lesson, as well as a nice mix of poetry and science. Recommended.

ISBN: 9780399547782; Published 2018 by Nancy Paulsen/Penguin; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library