Nesting by Henry Cole

Blurb: "In the spring, a robin sings to find another robin. Together, they build a nest with twigs and grass. The mother robin lays the beautiful blue eggs. She will keep the eggs warm in the nest until they hatch into baby robins. The father robin protects the babies until they can fly on their own. The perils the babies encounter are many, including snakes and storms. The nest is always their safe place."

Uncomplicated language describes the nesting process, while illustrations both mirror and extend the text. Horn Book

Robins are red but every illustration in this book is black and white with a touch of aqua blue. The pencil illustrations in this book are so very very appealing. 

Children will learn about robins (and never once are the birds anthropomorphised). But they can also be reminded of the lengths parents go to in order to take care of their young (whether feathered or not). Seven impossible Things before Breakfast (click this to see inside Nesting).

Here is the second book by Henry Cole that follows from Nesting and yes it features beavers!

I found this wonderful video of Henry Cole "reading" his wordless book Unspoken. Sadly it is out of print but watching the video you will see this is a very special book which has been crafted with so much care.

In this interview with Roger Sutton at The Horn Book Magazine, Henry Cole talks about his book One Little Bag: An amazing Journey. My first discovery of Henry Cole was through the art in the book A Nest for Celeste. 

Christmas is coming to Australia - take time to read about the past

We have reached day ten of my twelve books of Christmas for 2021. 

My good friend from Kinderbookswitheverything suggested I should share this book with you as another title for my Australian Christmas books because it is a good one to follow-up to my WWII story from yesterday - The Angel with a Mouth-Organ. 

Early on Christmas morning the guns stop firing. A deathly silence creeps over the pitted and ruined landscape. A young soldier peers through a periscope over the top of the trench. Way out in no-man’sland, he sees a small red shape moving on the barbed wire. A brightly coloured robin is trapped. One wing is flapping helplessly. An eloquent counterpoint to the senselessness and inhumanity of war, In Flanders Fields tells the story of a young homesick World War I soldier, who risks his life to cross the no-man’s land and rescue a robin caught in the barbed wire that separates the opposing forces, dug into their trenches. This moving picture book is a plea for compassion. Norman Jorgensen 

In Flanders Fields by Australian author Norman Jorgensen and Australian illustrator Brian Harrison-Lever is set at Christmas during World War I. The small robin is trapped in the barbed wire fence.  A young solider bravely ventures out of his trench over to the wire to free the bird. As he turns to return to his comrades he hears singing - Silent Night - sung in German and back safely in the trench his mates are singing the same song.

I am pleased to say this book from 2002 is still available and for a really good price. In Flanders Fields won the CBCA Picture Book of the Year award in 2003. Here is a video of the whole book but I suggest you watch it without sound and read the text yourself. 

The title of this book is taken from the famous poem by Canadian John McCrae. 

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

    That mark our place; and in the sky

    The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

    Loved and were loved, and now we lie,

        In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

    The torch; be yours to hold it high.

    If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

        In Flanders fields.

Take a look at this post from Kinderbookswitheverything and these companion reads:

Christmas in the Trenches

Shooting at the Stars

The Robin and the Reindeer by Rosa Bailey illustrated by Carmen Saldaña

It is the first winter for the little reindeer. The herd are moving south. She stops along the way to marvel at the tall trees and the snow covered landscape. The herd do not stop and the youngest reindeer finds herself all alone with no idea which way to go. Night is coming and the snow keeps falling. Little reindeer remembers her mother's advice to bury herself in the snow as a way to stay warm. Setting off again she sees a flash of red. It is a small robin.

"Will you be my friend? ... I need one right now."

Luckily the robin knows the way south to the cave where the herd have gone. He lands on her nose - a bright red beacon to light the way. As they travel on their journey takes a magical turn and the final pages filled with northern lights are sure to enchant you.

I was on the hunt for some new Christmas books to gift this year. The silver sparkles on the cover and the soft focus illustrations inside immediately caught my attention. This is a perfect Christmas book to add to your personal or school collection. It is a book that is sure to become a favourite to read each year during the festive season. 

Image Source: Booktopia

In this interview Carmen talks about her work and processes.  Here are some other books illustrated by Carmen Saldaña:

I would follow The Robin and the Reindeer with The Fox and the Star.

Little Robin Red Vest by Jan Fearnley

Day 10
Just by chance I have found another book about the robin. I also have a good friend called Robin!

You gave away all your warm clothes to help other people. 

You are full of the spirit of Christmas.

Little Robin prepares for the cold weather ahead. It is one week before Christmas so he washes and irons seven vests in different colours. He puts on his white vest and sets off to skate on the pond where he meets a very cold frog. He kindly gives the frog his white vest. It will be alright - he has six more at home. And so the pattern is established. Counting down the days, and the vests, Little Robin meets a different cold forest animal each day. Pink for Mole, Green for Hedgehog. Blue for Rabbit and so on.  Until finally there are no vests left. What Little Robin does not know is that someone has noticed his kindness and generosity. Little Robin falls asleep in the snow with no vest to keep him warm. Two hands pick him up. They are Santa's hands.

"This is the generous little fellow I told you about,' the man said to his wife. 'He must have a very special present then,' she replied. And with the Little Robin snug and cosy in her lap, the lady set to work."

Little Robin Red Vest feels like a fable and now we know how the Robin got his little red vest!

This book was published in 1998 but I am pleased to see it has been re-issued to celebrate its 20th anniversary by Nosy Crow.  Here is a video of the whole book read by Emilia Fox.

With so much emphasis on receiving, Little Robin Red Vest reminds us that the thing which will leave us warm inside is giving to those in true need. The animals Robin gives to are without warm clothes. This would make a lovely, gentle introduction to the difference between need and want, and the difficult fact that a lot of people are currently going without the things they need. Book Murmurmation

This charming story is a real heart-warmer and has a lovely traditional vibe. It could become an annual family favourite and has an Aesop’s fable feel to it that makes it really memorable. Book Trust

Coming Home by Michael Morpurgo illustrated by Kerry Hyndman

Day Six
Come my heart, and come my wings,
Fly, fly before the cruel snows,
Carry me, carry me home.
I must be on my way.

Coming Home follows the journey of a lone robin. This is an annual journey of migration by the brave robin from Scandinavia to Britain. The language is so poetic and the rhythms match the wing beats of the little robin who has to battle against driving rain, thunder and lightning, huge mountains and violent storms as he struggles to reach his home to his mate.

Take your time to look closely at the final scenes. As the robin swoops over the houses you can see a snowman, wreaths on front doors, and a glimpse of a Christmas tree. I should also mention the beautiful end papers decorated with holly and other red berries.

We don't have robins in Australia but as with other Christmas symbols the little robin does appear on our cards and tree ornaments.

Image source: https://welshgiftshop.com/products/christmas-decoration-wool-robin

Image source: https://www.johnlewis.com/caroline-gardner-robin-christmas-card/p3703107

You can see the whole book here read by Michael Morpurgo. You can see some of the glorious illustrations from this book on Kerry Hyndman's web site. Here are a set of very detailed teaching notes.

I am not sure how this works - did the book or the ad come first? I think perhaps the ad came first. Waitrose in the UK who then seem to have asked Michael Morpurgo to write Coming Home to link with their 2016 Christmas television advertisement. The ad shows the whole story with no words just a beautiful music sound track.

A highly unusual picture book to satisfy the heart of anyone who enjoys making the natural world part of a Christmas celebration.  Kirkus