The Birdwatchers

Hardcover; excellent condition

Things happen when Jess's granddad goes bird watching. Sometimes, when he makes drawings of the birds, they make drawings of him, too. And when he can't find their names in the bird book, his obliging feathered friends help him out. Well, at least this is the story Granddad tells Jess. Intrigued, she just has to find out for herself. The first thing Jess notices when they arrive in the woods is... nothing. Not a bird in sight, even when she uses Granddad's binoculars. But by day's end, Jess has seen plenty of birds--including a pair of dancing penguins who share her sandwich. Simon James's ( Dear Mr. Blueberry , Leon and Bob , etc.) dry comic timing is simply flawless in this warm, thoroughly appealing picture book. Expressive ink and watercolor illustrations capture the gentle balance between make-believe and real, most poignantly when we see a couple of penguins unobtrusively waddling after Jess and her granddad as they make their way home.