Jim Marilyn Grohoske; Madsen Evans

A family prepares their home for winter, and two chimney swifts build their nest in the family's chimney. The birds use sticks and their own spit, which is sticky and acts like a glue. At the same time, the family, shown in the illustrations, is putting together a crib for their new baby to come. Then, baby birds are born and the family has their new baby too. As time goes on, the birds have to migrate to warmer land. The family will then wait for more birds to make a nest in their chimney next year.… (meer)

I really liked this book for two reasons. The first reason is due to the illustrations. The book talks about two parent birds migrating from South America to Texas for the summer and create a nest for their eggs. As the book goes along we watch the birds grow up inside their Texas nest. In addition to watching the birds grow up we also subliminally watch a human family of 3 turn into a family of 4. Each page the baby development matches the bird development and it is fascinating to watch the difference in their development. For example, in the beginning pages the mom is pregnant and the bird mom is keeping her eggs warm. Moving on, the mom has the baby and brings him home when the bird mom watches her babies hatch. It is a thoughtful comparison between the two. Furthermore, I really enjoyed the language. This book is filled with adjectives! In the book, the birds are building their nest and they describe it with such detail and information that is so rich. For example, they talk about the spit they use to create a nest that acts like glue to keep ahold of the sticks. The big idea here is bird migration and making a new home for the summer. “A stub-tailed, cigar shaped bird streaks across the Texas spring sky. It’s a chimney swift, thousands of miles from its other home in South America” page 2. It is relatable for anyone who has moved once or multiple times and creating the new location as your home.… (meer)