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Circle
With entrancing collages and lyrical narration, the creator of the acclaimed Mirror follows the epic flight of an extraordinary bird.
Each year, bar-tailed godwits undertake the longest migration of any bird, flying from Australia and New Zealand to their breeding grounds in the Arctic and back again. They follow invisible pathways — pathways that have been followed for thousands of years — while braving hunger and treacherous conditions to reach their destination. In Circle, Jeannie Baker follows the godwit’s incredible flight, taking us over awe-inspiring scenes as the birds spread their wings above such beautiful landmarks as the Great Barrier Reef and China’s breathtaking cityscapes.
Each year, bar-tailed godwits undertake the longest migration of any bird, flying from Australia and New Zealand to their breeding grounds in the Arctic and back again. They follow invisible pathways — pathways that have been followed for thousands of years — while braving hunger and treacherous conditions to reach their destination. In Circle, Jeannie Baker follows the godwit’s incredible flight, taking us over awe-inspiring scenes as the birds spread their wings above such beautiful landmarks as the Great Barrier Reef and China’s breathtaking cityscapes.
48 pages, Hardcover
First published April 12, 2016
2 people are currently reading
147 people want to read
About the author
Jeannie Baker
26 books89 followersJeannie Baker is the author-illustrator of a number of children’s picture books, including the critically celebrated Mirror and the award-winning Where the Forest Meets the Sea. Born in England, she now lives in Australia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews
October 12, 2019
Have you ever dreamed that you could fly? Through a collage of textures, the annual migration of bar-tailed godwits between Australia and New Zealand to their nests in the Arctic are marveously illustrated. Following “the longest unbroken journey of any animal in the world[,]” the shorebirds circle more than 7,000 miles (11,265 kilometers). Her work appears so three dimensional that my fingers kept reaching out to touch the pages. As an advocate of the natural world, Ms. Baker starkly reminds us that wetlands, which are necessary for the godwits’ migration, are fast disappearing as construction and reclamation continue unfettered. “The changes we make on one side of the world can have consequences on another. The challenge we face now is how to live without destroying the places that are crucial to shorebirds’ age-old wondrous circle of life.” An excellent book for children and adults alike. However, as a precaution even though shown discreetly, young children may get upset about the encounter between a fox and godwit chicks.
February 2, 2018
Circle follows the godwit on it's yearly migration from Australia to Alaska, stopping in China and back. The illustrations are very interesting, they look like a mixture of collage, textiles, stitch and paint. The story is informative and gives you a bird's eye perspective. We found this in a new section of our library that is called Picture books for older children. Some children may find a page where a chick is taken by a hungry wolf distressing but I appreciate this is a realistic account of the goodwits life and I appreciate the wolf being described as hungry and not mean.
April 18, 2017
Like all Jeanie Baker books, this is stunning. From its turquoise, green, grey, orange and white cover all the way through the artwork is brilliant with colour. You feel like you could reach out and touch the sea anemones and sea life in their mauve, green and yellow. Interesting too that the city scene is much more subdued in colour than many of the other pages. The journey of the godwit is simply but exquisitely told. I particularly liked
‘Alone in an infinity of sky the tiny birds fly
On and one and one for nine nights and days without stopping…
Until the reach the other side of the world.’
It’s so beautifully poetic in expression.
The way the death of three godwit chicks to the hungry fox and the one chick who hides and survives, is sensitively told.
I also liked the addition of the boy in the wheelchair on the beach watching the godwits 'In a place where mud and sand become sea...' and then the change that is depicted at the end.
The author’s note tells us the godwit which makes ‘the largest unbroken journey of any animal in the world.’ The godwit migration map at the end is also an interesting feature that will make it useful for schools. But it is the beauty of this book that will delight children and adults alike and for many years to come. No surprise that it was the winner of the children’s section of the indie book awards.
My copy of this picture book was supplied by the publisher in return for a review. Any Jeannie Baker book is always a celebration that will receive high praise from me. This one especially, as not only is it about an incredible though endangered creature, it is told with grace and it is a creation of amazing art. Highly recommended.
‘Alone in an infinity of sky the tiny birds fly
On and one and one for nine nights and days without stopping…
Until the reach the other side of the world.’
It’s so beautifully poetic in expression.
The way the death of three godwit chicks to the hungry fox and the one chick who hides and survives, is sensitively told.
I also liked the addition of the boy in the wheelchair on the beach watching the godwits 'In a place where mud and sand become sea...' and then the change that is depicted at the end.
The author’s note tells us the godwit which makes ‘the largest unbroken journey of any animal in the world.’ The godwit migration map at the end is also an interesting feature that will make it useful for schools. But it is the beauty of this book that will delight children and adults alike and for many years to come. No surprise that it was the winner of the children’s section of the indie book awards.
My copy of this picture book was supplied by the publisher in return for a review. Any Jeannie Baker book is always a celebration that will receive high praise from me. This one especially, as not only is it about an incredible though endangered creature, it is told with grace and it is a creation of amazing art. Highly recommended.
May 19, 2018
Gorgeous and important, as expected from Baker. I found it interesting, too, and imagine that child me would have also. Author's note, map, and more are included.
August 25, 2025
The queen of collage has struck again
September 29, 2016
“There you stood on the edge of your feather,
Expecting to fly.”
-- Neil Young/Buffalo Springfield, 1967
“In a place where mud and sand become sea,
a godwit with white wing patches flies up with his flock.
The moment is right for the long journey north.”
CIRCLE by Jeannie Baker is one of the most beautiful science books I have ever seen. If I were still in retail bookselling, in addition placing it with children’s picture books, I would also display this title in the coffee table book section. The artwork and its reproduction onto the pages of this fascinating bird migration story, is that good. The story will appeal to adults as well as to children.
CIRCLE is dramatic, both in image and narrative. There are mind-blowing illustrations that depict flying and looking downward. We see the creation of new life as the result of innate mating rituals and death from predators. We also see the environmental challenges resulting from the loss of natural habitat and that people and birds can coexist in undeveloped, protected areas.
As Baker explains in the Author’s Note, “The bar-tailed godwits (Limosa lapponica baueri) in this story make the longest unbroken journey of any animal in the world. Before each Arctic winter they migrate more than 7,000 miles [11,265 kilometers] from their northern home in Alaska to their southern home in Australia and New Zealand, without even stopping to rest.”
I’m going to keep that in mind the next time I start to grouse because the nearest parking space is three blocks from my destination.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
BudNotBuddy@aol.com
https://www.facebook.com/richie.parti...
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Expecting to fly.”
-- Neil Young/Buffalo Springfield, 1967
“In a place where mud and sand become sea,
a godwit with white wing patches flies up with his flock.
The moment is right for the long journey north.”
CIRCLE by Jeannie Baker is one of the most beautiful science books I have ever seen. If I were still in retail bookselling, in addition placing it with children’s picture books, I would also display this title in the coffee table book section. The artwork and its reproduction onto the pages of this fascinating bird migration story, is that good. The story will appeal to adults as well as to children.
CIRCLE is dramatic, both in image and narrative. There are mind-blowing illustrations that depict flying and looking downward. We see the creation of new life as the result of innate mating rituals and death from predators. We also see the environmental challenges resulting from the loss of natural habitat and that people and birds can coexist in undeveloped, protected areas.
As Baker explains in the Author’s Note, “The bar-tailed godwits (Limosa lapponica baueri) in this story make the longest unbroken journey of any animal in the world. Before each Arctic winter they migrate more than 7,000 miles [11,265 kilometers] from their northern home in Alaska to their southern home in Australia and New Zealand, without even stopping to rest.”
I’m going to keep that in mind the next time I start to grouse because the nearest parking space is three blocks from my destination.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
BudNotBuddy@aol.com
https://www.facebook.com/richie.parti...
Moderator http://groups.yahoo.com/group/middle_...
June 16, 2016
As a young boy in a wheelchair dreams of flying, a godwit takes off from the beach. The bird embarks on a journey from Australia or New Zealand to the Arctic and then back again, performing the longest unbroken migration in the world. The reader gets to see the long and arduous flight with only one stop to eat along the way. The godwit reaches the Arctic where he attracts a mate and has chicks, but not all of them survive the predators. The chick who survives is left behind by his parents to make the journey separately as the godwit returns to the air to fly back south.
The bulk of the book is on the remarkable godwit and his story of grit and resilience on his journty. Framing that story though is the story of a boy and his recovery, allowing the bird to speak to the importance of endurance and spirit as anyone is facing difficulty. The text is poetic and lush, containing evocative phrasing like “they follow an ancient, invisible pathway” and “One chick hides, crouched and still, disappearing into the colors of the land.”
Baker’s art is simply awe-inspiring. Using collages, she creates entire worlds on the page. The tundra in the Arctic has individual blades of grass that fade into mosses and lichen while the godwit tries to defend his nest against a fox. Other pages capture landmarks like the Great Barrier Reef. There are northern mountain ranges, large cities and southern beaches. The illustrations are incredible.
A noteworthy picture book, this book is filled with information on a remarkable animal accompanied by exceptional illustrations. Appropriate for ages 4-7.
The bulk of the book is on the remarkable godwit and his story of grit and resilience on his journty. Framing that story though is the story of a boy and his recovery, allowing the bird to speak to the importance of endurance and spirit as anyone is facing difficulty. The text is poetic and lush, containing evocative phrasing like “they follow an ancient, invisible pathway” and “One chick hides, crouched and still, disappearing into the colors of the land.”
Baker’s art is simply awe-inspiring. Using collages, she creates entire worlds on the page. The tundra in the Arctic has individual blades of grass that fade into mosses and lichen while the godwit tries to defend his nest against a fox. Other pages capture landmarks like the Great Barrier Reef. There are northern mountain ranges, large cities and southern beaches. The illustrations are incredible.
A noteworthy picture book, this book is filled with information on a remarkable animal accompanied by exceptional illustrations. Appropriate for ages 4-7.
June 25, 2017
Oh how I love Jeannie Baker's spectacular collage.
This tale of the migration of the bar-tailed godwit from Australia to Alaska and back every year is stunning in every way.
This tale of the migration of the bar-tailed godwit from Australia to Alaska and back every year is stunning in every way.
June 1, 2021
Jeannie Bakers books Window and Where the forest meets the sea had a big impact on me when I was young. I was very excited to see this (new to me) book of hers on the migration of the Bar-tailed Godwits. It has all the things fans of her work love, stunning art, a well-researched and important timely story, and a strong environmental message.
November 16, 2018
A beautiful story about migration told through the eyes of a boy in a wheelchair. It follows the Australian Godwit birds as the journey north to migrate. By the time they complete their full migrating circle, the boy has also gradually recovered moving into crutches. The back of the book provides a Godwit Migration map that emphasises the incredible journey these birds make and highlights the countries they visit as detailed in the exquisite collage illustrations in the story.
April 4, 2019
Another truly beautiful creation from this artist and author.
Pictures you can easily spend hours enjoying and a storyline that inspires, teaches and celebrates nature and the environment.
Ever one of these books make the perfect gifting book for a special young person to enjoy
Pictures you can easily spend hours enjoying and a storyline that inspires, teaches and celebrates nature and the environment.
Ever one of these books make the perfect gifting book for a special young person to enjoy
May 24, 2017
Such a beautiful book! I was fortunate to see an exhibition of the preparatory sketches and the final dioramas used to illustrate this gorgeous book, at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne. I'd always admired Jeannie Baker's books, and do so even more now that I've seen the painstaking creative work that goes into them.
All her books can be enjoyed on many levels, by people of all ages, from babies through to adults.
All her books can be enjoyed on many levels, by people of all ages, from babies through to adults.
March 10, 2025
Ah, the godwit, that migrates from New Zealand to the Arctic every year....and back again.
Such beautiful illustrations and such inspiration.
Such beautiful illustrations and such inspiration.
March 19, 2017
Jeannie Baker has been appropriately named. She really is a jeannie-us.
I have been enjoying Jeannie Baker’s books over the years and they keep getting better and better. This one has to be one of the most beautiful books I have ever seen and it also carries a very important message that we humans need to take on board before it is too late.
I have been enjoying Jeannie Baker’s books over the years and they keep getting better and better. This one has to be one of the most beautiful books I have ever seen and it also carries a very important message that we humans need to take on board before it is too late.
January 2, 2022
The ‘Circle’ poetically describes the winter migration of godwit birds from their home in Alaska to their new home in Australia and New Zealand. The story follows the godwits making the largest unbroken journey of any animal in the world. These birds migrate 11,000 kilometers from Alaska to Australia and New Zealand, without stopping! All the information and maps can be found at the back under the author’s notes.
The book starts with a boy lying in bed with his wheelchair next to him thinking “ahhhh – I wish I could fly!” and a godwit taking off from the beach. The rest of the book follows a flock of godwits through nesting and flying across the sea and the land. The ‘Circle’ title only becomes evident at the end where they travel back to the beach that has changed so much.
The themes of the book focus on the route of the birds having to change to avoid developments, urbanisation and cope with the effects of climate change. No matter where you are in the world, you will see the effects of people. It also has an underlying theme of being inspired by nature. The boy in the story is disabled and has limited mobility. Through watching the godwits, it gives him a sense of adventure and freedom. Therefore, not only is it important to protect the biodiversity of the area for the animals, but it is also important for our own mental wellbeing to see the birds return each year.
The book certainly makes you feel like you are going through the experience of flying with the images filling the pages with the perspective of Earth’s curvature. Jeannie Baker’s illustrations look like a mixture of textiles, collage and paint. The seemingly three-dimensional collage style visually shows the immensity of their journey. Through the illustrations, the readers get to see and understand the different landscapes, time zones and length of the godwits arduous journey.
The book starts with a boy lying in bed with his wheelchair next to him thinking “ahhhh – I wish I could fly!” and a godwit taking off from the beach. The rest of the book follows a flock of godwits through nesting and flying across the sea and the land. The ‘Circle’ title only becomes evident at the end where they travel back to the beach that has changed so much.
The themes of the book focus on the route of the birds having to change to avoid developments, urbanisation and cope with the effects of climate change. No matter where you are in the world, you will see the effects of people. It also has an underlying theme of being inspired by nature. The boy in the story is disabled and has limited mobility. Through watching the godwits, it gives him a sense of adventure and freedom. Therefore, not only is it important to protect the biodiversity of the area for the animals, but it is also important for our own mental wellbeing to see the birds return each year.
The book certainly makes you feel like you are going through the experience of flying with the images filling the pages with the perspective of Earth’s curvature. Jeannie Baker’s illustrations look like a mixture of textiles, collage and paint. The seemingly three-dimensional collage style visually shows the immensity of their journey. Through the illustrations, the readers get to see and understand the different landscapes, time zones and length of the godwits arduous journey.
July 1, 2016
A beautifully illustrated book about the migration of bar-tailed godwits from Australia/New Zealand to Alaska and back again. The collage illustrations are gorgeous--I especially love the one of the birds on the second spread of the story. I wish there had been more details about the birds within the story, but if you read the author's note at the back first, there is plenty of material to discuss (e.g. Where do the birds start in this book? How can you tell? What time of year is it? What month?). Be sure to get out a map! Provides a reason to talk about conservation of habitats, and makes me ask more questions about godwits.
December 31, 2016
WOW!!! Beautifully illustrated book! It was so powerful! So moving! Literally--there was great flow and movement to the bird's journey that you felt part of it. What an incredible journey the godwits complete. I appreciate the learning and the awareness that this book provides, because we are part of securing their path.
June 8, 2016
I really loved the author/illustrator's Mirror; Home; and Window. This one is no less lovely - spare text describes a godwit's migration from the south to northern breeding grounds and back again. The collage illustrations are absolutely gorgeous.
August 5, 2016
I already knew quite a bit about godwits and their migration, but Circle is another beautiful book from Jeannie Baker and a lovely way to introduce the wonder of bird migrations to kids.
http://astrongbeliefinwicker.blogspot...
http://astrongbeliefinwicker.blogspot...
August 29, 2016
I usually love Jeannie Baker's books, but this one just fell a bit flat for me. The art is amazing as always, but just not as compelling as most of her other work. Maybe I need to come back in awhile and give this one another try.
May 7, 2016
Stunning collage illustrations and a lyrical narrative tell the story of the extraordinary annual migration of godwits.
May 16, 2016
Beautiful book describing the migration of the godwits , which is astounding.
June 1, 2016
Exquisite as always.
August 20, 2016
Jeannie Baker's books always hold so many levels of meaning. This does not disappoint.
February 13, 2022
Author and Illustrator: Jeannie Baker
Age Recommendation: Middle Primary
Topic/ Theme: Migration, Nature
Setting: Countries Around the Pacific Ocean
This book is quite pretty. It is a wonderful way to tell the story of migration for a single breed of bird, in this case, the bar-tailed godwit as it does its extremely long migration around the left half of the pacific ring. It starts on a beach in Australia and ends in the same place with the same boy. At the start, he's in a wheelchair, at the end using crutches. This not only follows migration but encourages readers to think about the damage humans cause to habitats. The number of people just ignoring the signage and exasperating that damage, there is a sign of what is prohibited on the beach, and we much of that on the beach. I do appreciate that many if not most of the other animals that are shown in the book are migrating creatures, turtles, whales, caribou and geese to mention a few. It does a great job of telling the story it wants to tell. Baker always knows what will best showcase her art, how to sell her message, make people think and create a book that will grow with people.
June 16, 2017
A fictional story that deals with a nonfiction topic: the migration of the godwit bird, which undertakes the longest unbroken migration of any animal (over 7,000 miles) when it flies from its summer nesting grounds in the Arctic Circle of Alaska to its wintering spots in Australia and New Zealand. A gentle story told in poetic language that deals with migration, the cycle of life and how humans (and other predators) affect this natural and ancient cycle. Lovely collage illustrations. This book would be perfect for older elementary students who may be studying habitats, animal adaptations and life cycles. A short but informative author's note at the end includes a map showing the migration pattern. The author's bio also indicates that she put in a lot of research for this book. Almost wish she had gone the more straightforward nonfiction route.
March 7, 2018
I liked how this book takes the reader along with the flock of birds flying through the air, above all the landscapes of earth. it was a short, yet interesting read into the perspective of the birds and what they see when they fly together in their flock. the pictures were an interesting style where it looked like they were made out of tactile objects and then photographed and added into the book. this style was the first i had seen of it and some pages looked really neat and others looked too cheesy for my taste. it was an easy read and had lots of interesting statements about the ancient pathways these birds take which is a neat way to describe their migration.
February 5, 2021
Has your inner child ever wished that you could fly? This young boy, that is wheelchair bound, wished he could soar high with the godwit birds. This book would be a great use in the classroom, during a diversity lesson, to describe to students how those with a disability want to be included just like everyone else. Those that have a disability do not want to be defined or held back by something they cannot control, and this story proves just that. This story can show students to allow someone that may have a disability to fly high like a bird and explore with everyone else.
October 26, 2023
Years ago I liked this better than my re-read yesterday. I had found the aerial perspective illustrations (the birds' eye view) breath taking. This time it felt kind of drab and faded colour-wise and somehow not as engaging. Maybe it's because I read some of Baker's other works too and they are somehow more substantial. I prefer her works that are set in Australia, there's a new one I just read too set in the American desert and while the illustrations are beautiful, again, it doesn't have the same immersive quality as some of the earlier works.
January 14, 2017
Love that it's big enough for me to share as a readaloud, but the artwork is best appreciated up close one-to-one. I read and then re-read to look more closely at art. Especially after you read the note about the other migrating creatures in the book. Had a bit of trouble finding some. Map in back is helpful. I plan to share this with third graders since they study major continental areas for SS. Going to have them act out a lesson from the Bronx Zoo about bird migration.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews