Books at Bedtime: Springtime and Migrating Birds
Saturday, April 25th, 2009
Spring in northern climes such as ours is heralded by the return of birds. For us, the honking of geese in the skies are a sure sign of the season. When we lived in Alberta, we sometimes went out into the countryside to see the return of the snow geese. Their flocks would fill the sky in swathes of white and blanket the fields on the ground. In Manitoba, it is mostly Canada geese that make their presence known in spring. Just the other day, I saw a pair gracefully wafting along the edges of a nearby creek.
Two books I have read to my children about migrating birds and spring are Swan Sky by Tejima and The Wonderful Adventures of Nils by Selma Lagerlof (illus. Lars Klinting.) Swan Sky is a picture book that tells the story of a young swan who is unable and unwilling to make the migratory flight northwards in spring. It is a poignant and simple story, beautifully illustrated with the woodcut prints of the author. The Wonderful Adventures of Nils is a longer book and is a children’s classic in Sweden. Commissioned by the National Teacher’s Association in 1902 as a reader for geography, the story of Nils took Lagerlof three years to research and write. Nils is a mischievous farm boy who is punished for his cruel acts to the farm animals by being turned into a wee tomte. In order to escape the anger of his parents, he hitches a ride on a domestic goose who yearns to be like the wild geese flying northwards in their annual migration. On this journey, Nils tours the provinces of Sweden, experiencing adventures that make him grow up and become a responsible young man.
What is spring like where you live? What birds do you see and hear in your part of the world?
