Birds of a Feather: Bowerbirds and Me

by Susan L Roth (Author)

Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

One makes colorful paper collages; the other, intricate environments out of found objects. And yet Susan L. Roth and the remarkable bowerbird are truly birds of a feather.

Sibert Medalist Susan L. Roth is like a bowerbird, a small black bird found in Australia and New Guinea that builds elaborate structures from various materials they find near their habitats. Though Susan creates books to attract readers and bowerbirds build bowers to attract a mate, both get their ideas from the world around them and the materials they find. Both love colors. No two of their respective creations are alike. And most importantly, both Susan and the bowerbirds aspire for their finished works to be greater than the sum of their parts.

Complete with engaging backmatter and dazzling artwork crammed full of so much to look at, this visually delightful picture book from award-winning author and artist Susan L. Roth is a fascinating comparison of art we create and art we find in nature.

Select format:
Paperback
$8.99

Kirkus

Starred Review

Blending memoir and nonfiction with deep ruminations on what constitutes an artist, Roth presents parallels between her life as an illustrator and the life of an Australian bowerbird. . . . introspective readers will be satisfied by the reflective nature of the text and the behind-the-scenes look at dual artistic processes. Roth persuasively argues that all artists...seek praise, and this ambitious hybrid demands to be seen.

ALA/Booklist

Starred Review
Part picture-book memoir and part informational text, this fanciful ode to the creative process and the colorful courtship practices of bowerbirds will delight budding artists and bird-lovers alike. . . . The author-illustrator dives deep into how and why she makes her crafting decisions, presenting the artist's process as a fluid endeavor, equal parts cerebral and mechanical. The jewel-toned and textured collage illustrations, filled with paper cuttings as well as found objects, further demonstrate the complexity and ingenuity that each masterpiece entails. Roth and a feathered friend are featured side by side throughout the vibrant pages, and readers will want to jump in alongside them.

None

There's plenty of meta fun here. . . . Nature lovers and bud-ding artists are sure to be inspired.

School Library Journal

Starred Review

Gr 2-4--What do award-winning, children's book author-illustrator Roth and bowerbirds have in common? As Roth explains in this charming informational picture book, both bowerbirds (native to Australia and New Guinea) and she (a resident of Queens, NY) scavenge colorful, bright, shiny objects from nature and the world around them. However, their purposes are different. With her fascinating finds, Roth fashions eye-popping collages to make books; male bowerbirds build elaborately decorated, leafy structures (not nests) to attract mates. On facing spreads throughout, Roth demonstrates how she and her avian counterparts locate and arrange their respective collections to create meticulous, eye-catching "unexpected compositions." Children will be amused that both human and feathered artists use "tools" similarly: the bowerbird's beak "operates like tweezers" and "his feet are like my hands." Roth's writing is simple, direct, and inspirational. Students will gain a clear idea of how much can be learned by watching birds utilize odd bits to optimal creative advantage. The book's collages fly off the pages with color and energy, and the strands of Roth's artfully disheveled hair even resemble feathers. Enhancing the title's usefulness are the author's notes in the back matter about bowerbirds, and their and her own work methods. VERDICT Recommended for public and school collections. This vibrant book will work well as a read-aloud in a group setting and as a springboard/introduction for creative-thinking and creative-art sessions.--Carol Goldman, formerly at Queens Library, NY

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Publishers Weekly

What do a bowerbird and an artist have in common? More than one might think. In this cheerfully offbeat tale, Roth compares her work as a collage artist to the magpie creativity of male bowerbirds, who build elaborate shelters adorned with a variety of found objects to attract mates. Listing their many similarities--"we are both collectors of unusual, often unrelated stuff"; "we both are dependent upon nature and on manufactured junk for our art supplies"--she gives young readers an honest look at the creative process that slyly undermines the notion that vaunted human activities are unique. Rich cut-paper collages studded with gems, sparkly pipe cleaners, feathers, and paper ephemera depict artist and bird at work. Endnotes delve further into facts about bowerbirds and their similarities to the artist, and present an eclectic bibliography alongside a photo of a blue-eyed bowerbird and his bottle cap-bedecked creation. Ages 4-8. (May)

Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

The well-known picture-book author and artist takes a quirky look at her own work and some natural history as she compares her collage creating to the male bowerbird's construction of elaborate bowers. . . . Budding artists may be inspired by the inviting maker scenes, while young naturalists will want to hear more about these and other artistic animal creations.—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Susan L Roth

Susan L. Roth's vibrant, unique, mixed-media collage illustrations have appeared in numerous outstanding picture books, including Parrots Over Puerto Rico, winner of the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal; Prairie Dog Song; The Mangrove Tree; Every Month Is a New Year, Malala Yousafzai: Warrior with Words, and most recently Butterfly for a King. Roth and her husband live in New York. Visit her online at susanlroth.com.

Cindy Trumbore has been involved with young people's literature for most of her career. A former editor in children's book publishing, she now writes children's books, edits books for classrooms, and teaches writing. She has collaborated with her friend Susan L. Roth on several award-winning titles, including Parrots Over Puerto Rico, which won the Robert F. Sibert Medal for Nonfiction; The Mangrove Tree; Prairie Dog Song, and most recently Butterfly for a King. She lives with her husband in Delaware. You can visit her online at cindykane.net.

Classification
Non-fiction
ISBN-13
9780823449378
Lexile Measure
850
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Neal Porter Books
Publication date
August 03, 2021
Series
-
BISAC categories
JNF007010 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Biography & Autobiography | Art
JNF003030 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Animals | Birds
JNF006070 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Art | Techniques
Library of Congress categories
Collage
Picture books
United States
Miscellanea
Themes, motives
Bowerbirds
Roth, Susan L

Subscribe to our delicious e-newsletter!