Wildbird

From the award-winning author of The Running Dream and Flipped comes a remarkable portrait of a girl who has hit rock bottom but begins a climb back to herself at a wilderness survival camp. 3:47 a.m. That’s when they come for Wren Clemmens. She’s hustled out of her house and into a waiting car, then a plane, and then taken on a forced march into the desert. This is what happens to kids who’ve gone so far off the rails, their parents don’t know what to do with them anymore. This is wilderness therapy camp. Eight weeks of survivalist camping in the desert. Eight weeks to turn your life around. Yeah, right. The Wren who arrives in the Utah desert is angry and bitter, and blaming everyone but herself. But angry can’t put up a tent. And bitter won’t start a fire. Wren’s going to have to admit she needs help if she’s going to survive. "I read Wild Bird in one long, mesmerized gulp. Wren will break your heart—and then mend it." —Nancy Werlin, National Book Award finalist for The Rules of Survival "Van Draanen’s Wren is real and relatable, and readers will root for her." —VOYA, starred review

The acclaimed scientist/writer's captivating encounters with individual wild birds, yielding "marvelous, mind-altering" insights and discoveries

Every aspect of a species' life in the wild -- courtship, nesting, brooding, communication, foraging, flying, fighting -- is covered in text by a leading ornithologist, and photographs by top nature photographers.

Every aspect of a species' life in the wild -- courtship, nesting, brooding, communication, foraging, flying, fighting -- is covered in text by a leading ornithologist, and photographs by top nature photographers.

Today, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, more than fifty million Americans feed birds around their homes, and over the last sixty years, billions of pounds of birdseed have filled millions of feeders in backyards everywhere. Feeding Wild Birds in America tells why and how a modest act of provision has become such a pervasive, popular, and often passionate aspect of people’s lives. Each chapter provides details on one or more bird-feeding development or trend including the “discovery” of seeds, the invention of different kinds of feeders, and the creation of new companies. Also woven into the book are the worlds of education, publishing, commerce, professional ornithology, and citizen science, all of which have embraced bird feeding at different times and from different perspectives. The authors take a decade-by-decade approach starting in the late nineteenth century, providing a historical overview in each chapter before covering topical developments (such as hummingbird feeding and birdbaths). On the one hand, they show that the story of bird feeding is one of entrepreneurial invention; on the other hand, they reveal how Americans, through a seemingly simple practice, have come to value the natural world.

Florina lives in a valley in the Swiss Alps with her mother, father, and brother Ursli. One day, while walking in the mountains, she finds a tiny bird that has lost its mother, and Florina takes the bird home to care for it. The girl and the wild bird soon become best friends. She makes food for it using her doll's tea set and gives it a special basket for a bed. When the bird grows up, its wings grow larger and it wants to fly. Florina must decide whether to keep the bird or release it to fly back tp the mountains. This beloved children's story is from the Swiss illustrator and author of A Bell for Ursli. (Ages 4-6)

"Attract, feed, and shelter 50 of your favorite species!"--Cover.

Get lost in a sweeping middle-grade adventure following Rype, an abandoned girl in fourteenth-century Europe, as she walks from Norway to England looking for safety from the plague. Her name was Rype. That wasn’t really her name. It was what the strangers called her. She didn’t remember her real name. She didn’t remember anything at all. Rype was hiding in the hollow of a tree trunk when they found her. She was hungry, small, cold, alone. She did not speak their language, or understand their mannerisms. But she knew this: To survive, she would have to go with them. In fourteenth-century Norway, the plague has destroyed the entire village of Skeviga. To stay alive, Rype, the only one left, must embark on a sweeping adventure across Europe with the son of an English ship captain and a band of troubadours in search of a brighter future and a new home. Expertly crafted, beautifully written, and completely unique, Diane Zahler has created a historically rich, stunning story of survival and hope in the face of tragedy. Praise for Wild Bird *A Junior Library Guild Selection* "Something special. Don’t miss it." - Karen Cushman, Newbery Medal-winning author of The Midwife's Apprentice and Newbery Honor-winning Catherine, Called Birdy "A quick-paced treasure." - Donna Jo Napoli, author of In a Flash "A deeply moving tribute to the power of art and memory." - Laurel Snyder, author of My Jasper June and National Book Award longlist Orphan Island

These are short stories which will bring joy to children of all ages who can read. The illustrations help the reader enjoy the material and hopefully may create an interest in song birds and perching birds or bird watching. The author highly recommends the reader to sit, observe and take notes of the various types of birds seen and their songs or calls. Many are unique and some species can imitate other birds. Comments may be directed to the author and/or AuthorHouse.