Book Sharing Monday: The Burgess Bird Book by Thornton W. Burgess

The Burgess Bird Book for Children by Thornton W. Burgess

I attended a Charlotte Mason Meeting a few months back, where I heard about this book.  After reading through some reviews and pondering it for a bit, I purchased a copy.   It has been around for a number of years now, being put back into print as a timeless classic.  

It has fast become one of my six years old's favourite read a louds!  The beloved Peter Rabbit is the main character in these stories, with an insatiable curiosity to meet and understand all the types of birds he can! Jenny Wren is eager to help with her vast array of knowledge about all things feathery!  :)  The stories about these feathered friends of ours are delightful and engaging.  They capture and hold a child's attention while at the same time teaching them about a bird's habitat, eating, nesting habits and the like.  My older children (ages 12 & 11), eagerly listen in too, often asking me to wait just a moment so they can join in the fun.

There are black and white illustrations throughout, and although they are pleasant, I will often use my bird book to look up additional information.  That way the kids are able to see the wonderful assortment of colours bird life has to contribute to this world of ours!  The kids enjoy sketching and painting out the bird they have heard about at that reading.  

We love talking about wild life around here, and in particular bird life.  We enjoy feeding the birds at the wild life centres and nature habitats.  In November, we had the opportunity to go camping up north, where we were able to feed the chickadee and nuthatchers.  The kids absolutely loved doing this.  All of us had a great time observing the various types of birds.  Nuthatchers, cardinals, blue jays, screech owls, and woodpeckers adorned the trees and we were able to get a close look at them.   Such a great time!

I would highly recommend this book to help develop a love of birds.  A half hour of readings; a tea for me and snacks for the kiddos and we are wrapped up in a world of wonder with our feathery friends! :)

My son, feeding a chickadee at the park.