The Swallow who Stayed by Philip Giordano translated by Arielle Aaronson

Welcome proof that seasons may come and go, but friendship is forever. Kirkus

Opening sentences. "Every spring Iris returned to the forest where she was born. She was always the first to arrive, appearing suddenly over the tops of the cherry trees."

The seasons change and it time for the swallows to fly south but Iris is worried. 

"What happens to the forest when we leave?"

The other birds fly away but for the first time Iris sees the autumn colours of red and yellow. The oldest swallow has gifted her an acorn necklace for good luck. Winter arrives:

"Now the forest seemed to be sleeping. Iris flew through the silent skies, and it felt like she was the only bird in the world."

It is so cold. Iris lies down in the snow but someone has seen the sparkling acorn - a squirrel named Sam. He gives her a warm home and comfort during the long nights - he even reads to her from his big book. The final sentence of this book will warm your heart. 

This is a book I would share with very young children but also right up to age 9. Highly recommended.

The Swallow who Stayed was originally published in French with the title L'hirondelle qui voulait voir l'hiver.

If you work with older students even at a university level this book is a perfect one to use as an example of fabulous book design and visual literacy. It also has perfect text placement and page turns. You can see more art from this book on the Canadian publisher page.

Here are some other books about bird migration that I highly recommend:

Lucy Goosey

Is this Panama?

Philip Giordano is an Italian illustrator born in a small coastal town in Liguria, of Philippine and Swiss descent. He attended the Brera Fine Arts Academy in Milan, the IED (European Institute of Design) and subsequently gained a Masters in Animation Techniques in Turin. He now lives in Japan. You can see pages from his book I Ate Sunshine for Breakfast here.

My friend spied this book The Swallow who Stayed in a bookstore in Canada - Tanner's Books. We were both very restricted with our luggage and so had to limit our purchases of picture books, especially hardcover ones. This is one of the three books my friend decided to buy and bring home. Here in Australia this book is over AUS$35 while in Canada it was CAN$24.

A modern fable about an iconoclastic swallow who decides to stay. YS Book Reviews

The Swallow who Stayed is not a Canadian picture book (although the English edition is from a Canadian publisher), but it was the editor of this book that caught our eye - Kallie George. Here are some other books by Kallie George:

Find all my blog posts about Kallie George's books here

The More You Give by Marcy Campbell illustrated by Frances Sanna

"Most of the gifts she gave the boy were ones that he could not hold in his hands. 

Like all of wisdom about how things grow."

"The boy's grandmother had a birthday and he gave her many gifts, like a poem, a picture, a crown and most of all his love. And she loved him back. And they were happy."

Until one day ... I guess you know what has happened.  Then over time the boy regains his happiness. His grandmother has taught to ask for help and showed him how to be patient. As the story continues the boy grows into a man and now there is a girl, his daughter, who loves her father and he gives her gifts such as his wisdom about how things grow. Finally, the tree, that was a seed all those long years ago, is now a strong with a branch that is perfect for a swing and this is a tree that will stand for the next generation and the next.

Publisher blurb: The boy’s grandmother gives him many gifts, like hugs, and Sunday morning pancakes, and acorns with wild and woolly caps. And all her wisdom about how things grow. As the boy becomes a father, he gives his daughter bedtime stories his grandmother told him, and piggyback rides. He gives her acorns, and the wisdom he learned about how things grow. His daughter continues the chain, then passing down gifts of her own. Here is a picture book about the legacy of love that comes when we nurture living things—be they people or trees.

Reviews are likening this book to The Giving Tree but that's not something I want to think about or discuss because I am not really a fan of that classic book and I think this book is so much better!

There’s a lot packed into the spare text, which spans decades of time to share how first a grandmother and grandson, then the grandson grown up with a daughter of his own, and finally that daughter with her son share their love. Kirkus star review

Here is the review from the School Library Journal.  Here is the book trailer. 

Frenci (Francesca) Sanna is an illustrator and picture book author from Sardinia, currently living and drawing in Switzerland.  Look at other books by Francesca Sanna. 

Read about The Journey here. 

Here are some other books by Marcy Campbell:

Kirkus Star review