Once, a Bird
- Publisher
- Orca Book Publishers
- Initial publish date
- Sep 2023
- Category
- Birds, City & Town Life, Seasons
- Recommended Age
- 3 to 5
- Recommended Grade
- p to k
- Recommended Reading age
- 3 to 5
-
Hardback
- ISBN
- 9781459831438
- Publish Date
- Sep 2023
- List Price
- $21.95
-
eBook
- ISBN
- 9781459831452
- Publish Date
- Sep 2023
- List Price
- $27.99
Classroom Resources
Where to buy it
Description
★“A very wise book, speaking volumes…Share this at story hours, or hand it to the child struggling to read; this communicates essential truths without a word. Marvelous.”—School Library Journal, starred review
★“This sweet, understated story is wordless—a perfect way to tell it, as it requires youngsters to relate to the illustrations in a unique, profoundly personal way…Refreshing, beautiful, moving, and meaningful.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
★“With cinematic fluidity, Dion’s marvellous watercolor, gouache, and digital illustrations evocatively convey Singh’s thoughtful wordless narrative…This multilayered wordless picture book has much to say about nature, renewal, and resiliency.”—Booklist, starred review
Once, as the winter ended, a little bird emerged to find the world had gone quiet.
The streets were empty and the playgrounds still. Puzzled but determined, the bird explores the town in search of a suitable place to nest. The residents of an apartment building notice her resting in a tree outside and take comfort in her song. Watching through their windows, they look beyond their lives and pause to appreciate the wonders of nature. The bird chooses to make this community her home and builds a nest, an act of resilience and hope that inspires the humans to emerge as well, reminding them that natural rhythms continue, seasons change and life goes on. Once again.
This wordless picture book is a hopeful contemplation of our interconnectedness with the natural world and the joy that nature brings us, even in unusual times.
French version available, Il était une fois un oiseau.
About the authors
Rina Singh has published several critically acclaimed books for children inspired by her Indian Canadian heritage, including Diwali Lights, Holi Colors and Diwali: A Festival of Lights, which was nominated for the Red Cedar Award. Rina’s own grandmother never got the chance to go to school. Grandmother School is dedicated to her memory. Rina lives in Toronto with her family.
NATHALIE DION is an illustrator living in Montreal who studied Design Arts at Concordia University. Her other children's books include I Found Hope in a Cherry Tree by Jean E. Pendziwol, The Biggest Puddle in the World by Mark Lee and What's in Your Purse? by Abigail Samoun. Nathalie has received a number of awards for her illustration and has exhibited her work in Montreal galleries.
Awards
- Commended, TD Summer Reading Club Recommended Reads
- Commended, CCBC Best Books for Kids & Teens
- Commended, Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices
- Commended, CBC Books The best Canadian young adult and children’s books of the year
- Short-listed, International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) Canada Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book Award
Editorial Reviews
★“With cinematic fluidity, Dion’s marvellous watercolor, gouache, and digital illustrations evocatively convey Singh’s thoughtful wordless narrative…This multilayered wordless picture book has much to say about nature, renewal, and resiliency.”
Booklist, starred review
“Illustrations are bursting with spring...This thoughtful interpretation of the change of season and of human connection presents a variety of characters to follow and details to consider, while the wordless aspect provides the necessary space to enjoy the book slowly and thoroughly.”
The Horn Book
★“A very wise book, speaking volumes…Share this at story hours, or hand it to the child struggling to read; this communicates essential truths without a word. Marvelous.”
School Library Journal, starred review
“This book would be a good addition to a preschool or kindergarten class where children could use the illustrations to tell their own versions of the story. Older grade school students could use the book as a writing prompt to write and share the story of the robin. This book is also a great starting point to discuss how it feels to be lonely, especially during the winter, and how wonderful it is to be outside again in the spring.”
Children's Literature Comprehensive Database (CLCD)
★“This sweet, understated story is wordless—a perfect way to tell it, as it requires youngsters to relate to the illustrations in a unique, profoundly personal way…Refreshing, beautiful, moving, and meaningful.”
Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“Great for encouraging conversation…The reciprocal relationship between the bird and the residents shows the comfort nature and connection can bring…A cute, simple, book with an inspiring message.”
CM: Canadian Review of Materials
"The charm of this wordless book is in the gouache, watercolor, and digital art through which the story and changing seasons unfold, and in the way it deftly captures the simple joy that a bird—and nature—offers young and old alike."
Cooperative Children’s Book Center, School of Education, University of Wisconsin–Madison
Other titles by
Barefoot Skateboarders
Les planchistes aux pieds nus
The Lion Queen
Rasila Vadher, the First Woman Guardian of the Last Asiatic Lions
Imagine a Garden
Stories of Courage Changing the World
Il était une fois un oiseau
111 Trees
How One Village Celebrates the Birth of Every Girl
Grandmother School
Grandmother School Read-Along
A Meeting in the Sky
Diwali
Festival of Lights
