THERE'S A GOLDFINCH AT MY FEEDER

Cooley’s picture book depicts the great variety of birds that stop in a suburban backyard.

The titular bird feeder in Cooley’s book is at the center of all-day avian traffic. In the morning, it plays host to a goldfinch, which soon gives way to a nuthatch that eats upside down. A sparrow, robin, chickadee, and so on follow the goldfinch throughout the day. Readers get to observe the habits and behaviors of the different types of birds that might appear in their yards. Each bird is identified in a rhyming couplet that includes a fact about its species, although some couplets are more felicitous than others. For example, “There’s a nuthatch at my feeder. It’s eating upside down. It gets its fill of suet and sees a bird that’s grey and brown” scans better than “There’s a blue jay at my feeder. It’s eating peanuts out of the shell. But then an oriole flies in, and the jay gives a squawky yell.” But this can be overlooked for the book’s delight in all things ornithological. Bailey’s digital illustrations bring movement to the story with indicators of mood, like the question mark over the hungry robin’s head, as well as a touch of humor in the last spread as other animals come out to investigate the feeder after dark. The birds are bright and colorfully drawn, from the goldfinch’s bright yellow-and-black feathers to the robin’s red breast.

A short, sweet picture book that’s as informative as it is visually appealing.