\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/ten-birds-237x300.jpg\") <\/b><\/b><\/td>\n | In Cybele Young\u2019s Ten Birds<\/i> (Kids Can Press, 2011), ten birds \u2013 with such names as Brilliant, Extraordinary, and Shows Great Promise – are trying to figure out how to cross a river. Each comes up with an imaginative solution \u2013 stilts, a water bicycle, a parachute, a kite \u2013 until it\u2019s the turn of the tenth bird, known as Needs Improvement. Who comes up with the simplest and cleverest solution of all. For ages 5-10.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/harrys-mad-204x300.jpg\") <\/b><\/b><\/td>\n | In Dick King-Smith\u2019s chapter book Harry\u2019s Mad<\/i> (Yearling, 1997), Mad is a bird \u2013 a highly intelligent and creative talking parrot named Madison, left to Harry by his eccentric uncle. Trouble strikes when Mad is parrot-napped. For ages 6-10.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/arabels-raven-197x300.jpg\") <\/b><\/b><\/td>\n | In Joan Aiken\u2019s Arabel\u2019s Raven<\/i> (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2007) \u2013 with illustrations by the incomparable Quentin Blake \u2013 Arabel\u2019s father, a taxi driver, brings home an injured bird. Subsequently named Mortimer, the raven – who insists on answering the telephone by squawking \u201cNevermore!\u201d \u2013 wreaks havoc. He\u2019s a sort of avian Paddington Bear. Arabel loves him and so do I. For ages 7-10.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/trumpet-of-swan-198x300.jpg\") <\/b><\/b><\/td>\n | In E.B. White\u2019s\u00a0The Trumpet of the Swan<\/i> (HarperCollins, 2001), originally published in 1970, eleven-year-old Sam discovers a family of trumpeter swans while on a camping trip \u2013 the youngest of whom, a cygnet named Louis, is mute. Louis\u2019s father steals a brass trumpet from a music store to give his son a voice. A wonderful book for ages 8-12.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/the-aviary-204x300.jpg\") <\/b><\/b><\/td>\n | In Kathleen O\u2019Dell\u2019s The Aviary<\/i> (Yearling, 2012), eleven-year-old Clara and her mother live in a crumbling mansion with old Mrs. Glendoveer. Clara, said to have a weak heart, is forbidden to run, play, or go to school \u2013 but nonetheless\u00a0 manages to make a friend and to solve the mystery of the Glendoveers\u2019 past. It\u2019s a spooky and addictive story that involves vanished children and the birds caged in the great aviary behind the house. For ages 8-12.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/owls-in-family-1-204x300.jpg\") <\/b><\/b><\/td>\n | In Farley Mowat\u2019s Owls in the Family<\/i>, Billy \u2013 growing up on the plains of Canada \u2013 adopts two personality-laden pet owls, Wol and Weeps, who promptly turn the family and the neighborhood upside-down. For ages 8-12.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/my-side-of-the-mt-196x300.jpg\") <\/b><\/b><\/td>\n | The main character in Jean Craighead George\u2019s My Side of the Mountain<\/i> (Puffin Books, 2004) is 12-year-old Sam Gribley who runs away from home to live on his own in a hollow tree in the Catskills. There he learns to survive, and adopts and tames a peregrine falcon chick, which he names Frightful. A wonderful read for any kid who has ever dreamed of life in the woods \u2013 and luckily there are several sequels. For ages 8-12.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/seabird-233x300.jpg\") <\/b><\/b><\/td>\n | Holling C. Holling\u2019s Seabird<\/i> (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1978) is the story of a carved ivory seagull who travels across oceans and through time with four generations of seafarers, from a Nantucket whaling ship to a clipper, a steamship, and an airplane. The carving is made by young Ezra Brown, based on the seagull he saw in a snowstorm from the crow\u2019s-nest of the whaling ship. It\u2019s a wonderful book, illustrated both with colorful paintings and detailed marginal drawings, diagrams, and maps. For ages 9-12.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/someday-birds-198x300.jpg\") \u00a0<\/b><\/b><\/td>\n | In Sally J. Pla\u2019s The Someday Birds<\/em> (HarperCollins, 2017), young Charlie is on a crazy cross-country journey with his siblings to visit their journalist father in the hospital, where he is being treated for a brain injury sustained in Afghanistan. Along the way, Charlie copes with his worries by trying to spot all the birds that he and his father had planned to see \u201csomeday,\u201d with the help of the serendipitously discovered journal of a famous birder. For ages 8-12.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/okay-for-now-200x300.jpg\") \u00a0<\/b><\/b><\/td>\n | An abusive father, a brother who has lost his legs in Vietnam, and an original edition of Audubon\u2019s Birds of America<\/em> are all factors in the life of eighth-grader Douglas Swieteck, main character in Gary D. Schmidt\u2019s Okay for Now<\/em> (Clarion, 2011). For ages 10-14.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n <\/p>\n FOLK TALES, FAIRY TALES, AND FANTASY<\/b><\/h4>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/raven-mcdermott-300x247.jpg\") <\/td>\n | Gerald McDermott\u2019s Raven<\/i> (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2001) is a trickster tale from the Pacific Northwest in which clever Raven feels sorry for the people living in the cold and dark, and so sets out to steal light and warmth from the Sky Chief. Illustrated with colorful native-American-style drawings. For ages 4-8.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/ella-bella-swan-lake-212x300.jpg\") <\/td>\n | In James Mayhew\u2019s Ella Bella Ballerina and Swan Lake<\/i> (Barron\u2019s Educational Series, 2011), Ella\u2019s ballet class is preparing to dance Tchaikovsky\u2019s Swan Lake<\/i> \u2013 and Ella, as she listens to the music, is magically transported into the world of Swan Lake, where she meets Odette, the swan princess, and the evil sorcerer who turned her into a bird. For ages 4-8.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/ugly-duckling-225x300.jpg\") <\/td>\n | There are now many versions and editions of Hans Christian Andersen\u2019s story of \u201cThe Ugly Duckling,\u201d the homely and heckled little duck who grew up to be a beautiful swan. See Jerry Pinkney\u2019s Caldecott Honor book The Ugly Duckling<\/i> (HarperCollins, 1999).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/emperors-nightingale-and-other-feather-222x300.jpg\") <\/td>\n | Jane Ray\u2019s The Emperor\u2019s Nightingale and Other Feathery Tales<\/i> (Boxer Books, 2013) is a collection of 12 stories and poems from around the world, all featuring birds. Included, along with Hans Christian Andersen\u2019s \u201cThe Emperor\u2019s Nightingale,\u201d are Oscar Wilde\u2019s \u201cThe Happy Prince,\u201d \u201cJorinda and Joringel\u201d from the Brothers Grimm, and Edward Lear\u2019s \u201cThe Owl and the Pussycat.\u201d For ages 5 and up.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/mandarin-ducks-232x300.jpg\") <\/td>\n | In Katherine Paterson\u2019s The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks<\/i> (Puffin, 1995), set in medieval Japan, a greedy lord captures and cages a beautiful mandarin duck, who pines miserably for freedom and his mate. Yasuko, the little kitchen maid, releases the bird, and she and her friend, the one-eyed ex-warrior Shozo, are sentenced to death by their angry master \u2013 only to be saved by a pair of mysterious messengers. For ages 5 and up.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/terrible-troll-bird-211x300.jpg\") <\/td>\n | By Ingri and Edgar Parin D\u2019Aulaire, The Terrible Troll-bird<\/i> (New York Review Children\u2019s Collection, 2007), based on Norwegian folklore, is the story of a giant rooster and some even more threatening trolls, all soundly defeated by four brave children, Ola and his sisters Lina, Sina, and Trina. Wonderful folk-art-style illustrations. For ages 5-9.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/tale-of-firebird-spirin-235x300.jpg\") <\/td>\n | By Gennady Spirin, The Tale of the Firebird<\/i> (Philomel, 2002) is a gorgeously illustrated picture-book version of the Russian folktale about the Tsar\u2019s youngest son and his quest for the Firebird. Danger, adventures, a helpful wolf, the frightening Baba Yaga who lives in a cottage with chicken feet, a beautiful princess, and a wonderful bird. For ages 6-10.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/flight-of-phoenix-200x300.jpg\") <\/td>\n | By R. L. LeFevers, Flight of the Phoenix<\/i> (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010) stars ten-year-old Nathaniel Fludd, sent to live with his aunt after his parents are declared lost at sea \u2013 where he sets out to learn the family business of beastology. In this, the first of an extensive series (all crammed with mythological creatures), Nate and Aunt Phil travel to Arabia to witness the hatching of a phoenix egg. For ages 7-10.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/david-and-phoenix-204x300.jpg\") <\/td>\n | In Edward Ormondroyd\u2019s David and the Phoenix<\/i> (Purple House Press, 2001) \u2013 originally published in the 1950s \u2013 David explores the mountains behind his new North Carolina home and there discovers the Phoenix. The Phoenix is being pursued by a Scientist and had been studying Spanish, in preparation for fleeing to South America \u2013 but he decides to stay put for a while, and to take David\u2019s education in hand. There follows a series of hilarious and often near-disastrous adventures, involving fauns, leprechauns, witches, griffins, and a Sea Monster \u2013 and ultimately a painful, but hopeful ending. I\u2019ve loved this book for years, as it waffles in and out of print. At the moment, it’s in. It\u2019s also available in used editions and inexpensively (even for free) on Kindle. For ages 8-12.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/guardians-of-gahoole-208x300.jpg\") <\/td>\n | Kathryn Lasky\u2019s Guardians of Ga\u2019hoole series is a gripping battle between good and evil, with owls. In Book 1 of the series, The Capture<\/i> (Scholastic, 2003), a young owl named Soren has been living happily with his family, raised on tales of the Guardians of Ga\u2019hoole, legendary owls famed for their noble deeds. Then he is knocked out of the nest and captured by evil owls from the Academy of St. Aegolius. There Soren and his new friend Gylfie struggle to survive, resist their captors, and secretly learn to fly. Many exciting sequels. For ages 8-12.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/sinbad-231x300.jpg\") <\/td>\n | By James Riordan, The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor<\/i> (Frances Lincoln Children\u2019s Books, 2008) \u2013 from the classic A Thousand and One Arabian Nights<\/em> \u2013 is a 64-page illustrated account of astounding adventures with (among others) an island that turns out to be a whale, a sea monster, ogres, and a gigantic bird called a rookh.\u00a0 For ages 9-12.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/the-mob-194x300.jpg\") <\/td>\n | Clem Martini\u2019s The Mob<\/i> (Kids Can Press, 2005) is the story of the Kinaars, a crow clan, now come together for their annual meeting at the Gathering Tree. Kyp, a headstrong young crow, is ostracized from the Flock for calling down a mob on an encroaching cat; when a blizzard hits, however, Kyp and friends \u2013 though they\u2019ve flouted crow tradition \u2013 save the day. It\u2019s a great story, and many of the behaviors of the crow clan are based upon those of real crows in the wild. Reminiscent of Watership Down<\/i>. There are two sequels. For ages 10 and up.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |