SIX LITTLE BIRDS

As the seasons turn, six nestlings have different experiences in pop-up scenes.

The narrative, translated from the French, reads like a nursery rhyme: “Six young nuthatches fly the nest. / The first one has found the food she likes best.” Others like to sing, narrowly escape a “bird of prey,” or join a varied flock of fellow birds on a wintry perch. Within an extra-tall trim that suits the subject matter, Duisit’s tidy pop-ups include an excellent, large sunflower, neatly branched tree trunks, and birds that flit or stretch realistically. Cosneau’s stylized avians are also pleasingly neat—sometimes a little hard to make out against too-busy backdrops but usually standing out clearly enough thanks to contrasting and sometimes-flamboyant plumage. Rather than a nesting scene to bring the annual round full circle, the final double-page spread features a number of different birds pairing off as, in the foreground, the sixth nuthatch performs a courtship dance for a prospective mate. The rhyme ends, appropriately, with a suggestive ellipsis….

A woodsy outing for younger readers with an affinity for feathered folk.