A Picture Book a Day for a Year: Day 114

Picture Book: Nest

Author & Illustrator: Jorey Hurley

Summary: This wonderful picture book begins by depicting a pair of robins building a nest. Milestones of their family life follow such as caring for their chick, guarding her, teaching her to fly, seeing her meet her own mate, and lastly building her own nest. Each double page spread is a beautiful depiction of the season with the one word that moves the story along from “Nest” on the first page to “Nest” on the last. This simple, universal story of families is a real treat.   

Hanna’s Comments: When a story ends as it begins, it is called a circle story. The striking illustrations of simple, muted shapes allow you to focus on the story-line, a plot-line shared by God’s creatures fortunate enough to be born and to live in families until they make new families as adults. Although the book can be comprehended by very young children, allow older audiences to be inspired by it. Encourage them to share what they see as the ingredients of a loving family. Talk about how family members change and mature to make new loving families, a cycle intended by our loving creator. 

Publisher & Date of Publication: Simon & Schuster, 2014

Age & Grade Appropriateness: 3 and up, Pre and up

# of Pages: 40

Available in Spanish? Not at present

Formats other than Book: Tablet

PBT Category: Fresh off the Press

PBT Topics this Book Connects with: abilities, abundance/bounty, animals, anxiety/worry, babies/children, beginnings/morning, belonging, caring/tending, change, dependence/interdependence, eggs/seeds, the environment/nature, family, growing up/growth, home, marriage, milestones, new home/relocation, nurturing, parents/parental love, partners/teamwork, time/timing/overtime, transformation

Scripture Connections: Birds nesting at the temple (Psalm 84:3-4); train up a child in the way he should go (Proverbs 22:6); do not worry, look at the birds of the air (Matthew 6:26)

Idea(s) for Application: This would be a good book to connect with the scripture in Matthew about how humans shouldn’t worry (see above).