Blog Tour & Giveaway for You and the Bowerbird by Maria Gianferrari

With the help of a young bird-watcher, readers get a bird’s eye view of the steps that Satin, an adult male bowerbird, takes to court a mate. On Day 1,  Satin collects twigs to create his bower. 

He gathers items in the shade of blue to decorate the walls of his bower.  When Pea, a female bowerbird, examines the nest, another male bowerbird, Pirate, dives in chasing her away and stealing a feather which was Satin’s welcome mat. 

Wasting no time, Satin spies blue socks on a clothing line and snatches one to replace the feather.  Pea returns, but within seconds, Pirate steals the sock.  To make matters worst, juvenile bowerbirds (and Pirate again) ransack Satin’s bower.  

Readers’ hearts will be tugged when they see Satin’s reaction.  Luckily, the young bird watcher has been closely observing Satin and knows how to help him with the gift of one of her own blue socks. Satin quickly rebuilds his bower, protects it from Pirate, and performs a song and dance when Pea arrives.  Readers see the fruits of Satin’s labor with Pea in a nest keeping her eggs warm.  On the page spreads that follow, Satin’s and Pea’s fledglings leave the nest to start the cycle all over again. 

Kids and adults will adore this nonfiction narrative about bowerbirds who only live in Australia. Gianferrari is a master storyteller of nature.  Her text is melodic, concise, and informative. She chooses her words carefully to ensure kids can learn and understand the topic. Wicks’ bold and detailed illustrations complement Gianferrari’s narrative. I especially love that the young birdwatcher’s journal starts on Day 1 and ends on Day 46 showing the length of time from building the bower to fledglings leaving the nest.  On some pages, Hicks chose a comic panel format which clearly depicts the action more vividly.  As a adult, I never knew bowerbirds existed and I was intrigued from the very first page.  I know that my students will be wishing that they lived in Australia and could see bowerbirds themselves.  Thankfully, Gianferrari and Hicks can transport us to “the Land Down Under” with You and the Bowerbird. Backmatter includes information about bowerbirds and additional print and web resources.