Warbler Wave

by April Pulley Sayre

Discover the magic—and the science—behind the migration of warblers with this stunning photographic picture book from the award-winning author and photographer of Raindrops Roll, Best in Snow, and Full of Fall.The migrating warblers have arrived, to feed and preen, to refuel and rest before continuing on their amazing journey of thousands of miles. This photographic picture book captures in lush detail the story of these tiny, colorful, and diverse birds. April Pulley Sayre’s vibrant photography has been called “striking” and “wonderful in every way” by Kirkus Reviews, and Warbler Wave is just that.

Genres: Picture Books, Birds, Nonfiction, Nature, Animals, Poetry, Photography

32 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 13, 2018

About the author

April Pulley Sayre was an award-winning children’s book author of over 55 natural history books for children and adults. Her read-aloud nonfiction books, known for their lyricism and scientific precision, have been translated into French, Dutch, Japanese, and Korean. She is best known for pioneering literary ways to immerse young readers in natural events via creative storytelling and unusual perspectives.

Reviews

[Jacki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm definitely a Sayre fan, but the spreads at the beginning and end without a bird to be seen perplexed me.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author describes the excitement of Warbler migration accompanied by photographs. The pictures are colorful, and it is always fun to see a children's book with photos. Read about the author's inspiration in the back to get interested in bird watching.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This oversized book pays tribute to the beauty and migration of the songbird known as the warbler. The book starts with photographs of a few of the places that the birds travel through on their migration. Further pages highlight the need to feed and rest and how and where they do so. The end note provides more detailed information about warbler migration for those who are interested. The poem highlights the basic skills and abilities that make the bird so beautiful. The poem is great, but it's the photographs that win the day here, especially oversized the way they are. Books like this help children develop a greater appreciation for the beauty and harshness of the world around us.

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Photographs of colorful warblers is accompanied by poetic text describing their activities. In the back of the book is an extensive amount of further information about warblers.

Beautiful photographs of charming little birds should delight little bird lovers. I found the text to be a little uneven. Sometimes it rhymed and sometimes it didn't, and I couldn't tell if that was on purpose or not. Don't let that stop you reading it, though. It's still a good nonfiction read. And anyone who wants to know just about anything about warblers should check out the back of this book. There's TONS of information packed in the back.

[Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Age: Preschool-Kindergarten

Beautiful photography and lovely, sprightly text document the variety of warbler birds in the wild. But this book felt like it could have been any bird so I wish there was more detail about what makes the warblers unique.

[Nancy Prater · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this one with my kids. Beautiful photos, lovely poetic text, and very interesting facts about warbler migration that led us to look up more info online!

[Angela De Groot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poetic text and crisp photo-illustrations

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Photographs- 4 stars
Poem//Words-2 stars
Like large size for group read aloud. Just not sure if teachers would borrow to read during Spring storytimes? Sadly, though these large books are tough to fit in backpacks and often little ones tear the pages as they picture read.
Recommended as public library borrow to read with parent.

[Jene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every spring, tiny, cheery warblers migrate at night across South America, on their way to the United States. Flying by night, resting and refueling by day, they travel thousands of miles to find their nesting territories and forests rich with insects. Warbler Wave shows how the birds survive during their migration.
Oh man. April Pulley Sayre and her husband, Indiana authors and photographers, have done it again. The photos are just gorgeous, clear, and active. The photos themselves tell the story! But the poetry-like short sentences explain exactly what is happening in each beautiful photo. The pictures are detailed, but it’s very clear what is happening and where the audience should be looking. There are four pages at the end of additional information about warblers and their migration. The last page contains the contact information for several organizations dedicated to warbler research and conservation.
I absolutely recommend this, and all April Pulley Sayre books. They are the perfect length and level for preschool storytime read alouds!
Recommended for: preschoolers, early elementary
Red Flags: none
Overall Rating: 5/5

[Kyra Nay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warbler Wave captures the annual spring migration of warblers through “rivers of wind” as they make their way “north to nest.” Bright photographs capture the colorful birds in stunning detail as they preen, sing, and hunt for bugs to refuel on their long journey. Sayre’s keen ear for language is evident throughout, with descriptive and poetic phrases that are meant to be read aloud, e.g. “Crushers of caterpillars! Slurpers of spiders!” and “Energy ebbs? Check the webs – for mosquitoes, moths, and midges!”

Extensive backmatter gives more information about the warblers’ migratory patterns, explains why the songbirds migrate and how scientists track them, suggests ways to make your backyard welcoming to birds, and much more. It’s a treasure trove of additional information– this book would make a great starting-off point for a birding program.

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an invitation to wonder at warblers, tiny colorful songbirds that migrate long distances each year. They must stop on their way to eat and rest, searching for insects and spiders to devour. They come in many colors from blue to yellow to reds and mixtures of colors. Then they return to their journey north to their nesting grounds, flying by night and calling to one another along the way.

Sayre is a master at creating nature books that soar with poetry, drawing young readers into the wonder that is the world around us by tantalizing them and showing them the magic. The images shared here are crisp and bright, the skies deep with color, the small birds caught with a clarity that is difficult to achieve. A great introduction to warblers and birding for young readers. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sayre, April Pulley Warbler Wave, with Jeff Sayre. PICTURE BOOK. Beach Lane (Simon), 2018. $18. 9781481448291.

Sayre celebrates the tiny warbler with vivid photographs and rhyming text. The warbler is easily overlooked among flashier, more popular bird species. Sayre tackles a more complicated topic than her earlier books. Most of the poetry is simple and fun to read. Sometimes, though it stumbles – making certain patterns in some places and then entirely different patterns in others. The highlight is the photos of the warblers.

EL (K-3) – OPTIONAL. Cindy, Library Teacher
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2018...

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picture books for children that feature real photographs, which are works of fiction storytelling, are quite underrated. That is why I love most of the books by April Pulley Sayre. This one is just as beautiful as the last. Although sometimes I feel the text could benefit from being slightly less poetic and a little more matter-of-fact. That's probably the just toddler storytime presenter in me. Although, as another reviewer said, the photos at the beginning without any warblers were a bit oddly placed. All that to say, I really appreciate this book.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely stunning photographs depict the diversity of warblers that can be found during their annual migration. The text is lovely and poetic, describing these incredible little birds. The only flaw I see is the lack of species names, which will be a minor annoyance to budding ornithologists (although the IDs can be found on the author’s website, with a little digging). The beautiful colors will stay with readers even after the book is put aside.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful photographs that begin with stunning two page spreads and include groups of close-up views of a variety of individual birds. The connecting poem is wonderful and as if flows through the book, information is provided. Back matter includes extensive additional information on warblers and their migration.

My one wish is that the birds had been identified either on their individual pictures or in the back. The birder in me wanted to know exactly which bird I was seeing.

[Mrs. Melaugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This exuberant love letter to warblers is full of admiration for the little birds. As with other of Sayre’s books, the photographs tell most of the story. The normally elusive birds appear in crystal clear close ups, “Yellow. / Blue. / Pattern. / Hue. They flit, like flying flowers.” Four pages of text at the end provide extensive notes about the warblers and the long migration they undertake each year.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful Sayre photography, and some vivid use of language make this a very attractive book--for adults. Children may not be as interested in the many pictures of birds and the poetic text, especially without captions or other labels to identify the various kinds of warblers. Extensive back matter is helpful for those with patience to read it. I hope I can find it at a bargain price because I cannot make it a must-buy selection.

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The photographs are beautiful--her work is amazing. But this isn't quite up to the one I read last year. The poem was fine. The information at the end was so-so for me--because there was quite a lot of it and I got bored reading it halfway through. I suppose if children are really interested they might sit through reading that. But I think it might be a bit much for those not as into birds or animals or nature.

[Raven Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the photographs. The text is poetic. The story of warblers comes across with facts and story format. Afterwards has a number of facts and information to expand your, and child's, knowledge. It will grow with your child. Love the clever line about slurping spiders (even though I like the cute little buggers) and wonder how the woodchuck/groundhog sneaked in?

[MaryLibrarianOH · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stunning photographs that I've come to expect from Sayre. She does an amazing job of use a very limited text to teach the reader about the migration of the warbler bird. Excellent nonfiction with lots of back matter for those who want even more information.

[Cat Fithian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful photographs of a wide variety of warblers. Rhyming text is a bit tiresome sometimes, but this one will suffice as it's sparse enough to get the point across without being cloying. True birders will wish they'd included labels on each illustration with the species. :-)

[Debbie Tanner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This gorgeously illustrated book of poetry about warblers gives the information in such a beautiful way. The photographs have such a terrific energy and are so highly detailed. The poems are lovely and lyrical and give a ton of information about warblers. Super interesting!

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

a stunnignly beautifaul picture book featuring real life pictures of warbler birds set against simple texr. The afterward is a little lengthy and takes away from the lightness of the book. toddler and up without afterward. elementary and up with afterward

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 Stars I love April Pulley Sayre books with the mixture of actual pictures and informational!
I learned a bunch about warblers. The pictures are great but, can I nominate for an award!? I am on the fence!

[Leonard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice large colorful children's book about warblers. The only thing missing is the names of the species pictured in the book. A note says that they can be found on the author's website, but I checked and was unable to locate them.

[Tracie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Photographs help show the story of warblers migrating.

[Jillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not my favourite of April Pulley Sayre's, but it's still excellent work. Her photographs are always the highlight of any book she puts out, and this one is no exception.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful photographs

[Michele Knott · Rating 5 out of 5]

April Pulley Sayre does not disappoint - gorgeous book filled with informative text in poetic format and amazing photographs by Jeff Sayre!

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful photography accompany this wonderful book about birds.