Neighbors: Bird House by Blanca Gomez

 

ON A SNOWY DAY, MY ABUELA AND I FOUND AN INJURED BIRD.

ABUELA TOOK CARE OF IT.

The bird has a broken leg and back at home she bandaged it and put the little bird in an upright bird cage in their living room. The bird seems happy, and the cat is curious. As the little yellow bird's leg heals, Abuela lets it fly around their apartment to keep its wings strong.

IT WAS FANTASTIC!

The cat is fascinated. And Abuela begins to build a little bird house.

And when the bird's leg is healed, Abuela says it is time to let it fly free again. The cat is a bit upset, and the girl is sad, as the little yellow bird flutters up and soars away, soon lost among the tall buildings and the clouds. But Abuela and her granddaughter put up their bird house right away, right beside the door.

SNOW MELTED INTO SPRING.

And one day, when Abuela is watering her flowers on the balcony, the yellow bird returns to check out the new bird house and become their new neighbor....

In author-illustrator Blanca Gomez' newly published Bird House (Abrams Books, 2021), there are many gentle lessons, the nurture of a grandparent for a small child, and the care and the respect for all creatures that share our world. Gomez' meticulous paper collage illustrations are both simple and softly evocative of the theme of this lovely story.

Says Kirkus, "The simple, flowing first-person narrative flits from page to page in a gentle lilting commentary on harmony and respect."