written by Robert Furrow & Donna Jo Napoli; Illustrations by Marc Martin
Random House Studio. 2023
We Are Starlings: Inside the Mesmerizing Magic of a Murmuration
We Are Starlings: Inside the Mesmerizing Magic of a Murmuration
written by Robert Furrow & Donna Jo Napoli; Illustrations by Marc Martin
Random House Studio, a division of Penguin Random House. 2023
A murmuration is a flock of birds flying all together in one large mass.
A few years ago, before some major housing developments in my community that had a negative impact on wildlife by removing some wide-open spaces, you could watch, in the early mornings, flocks of starlings as they flew in a large mass around the open fields. Called a murmuration of starlings, watching them added a boost to a day that might have been routine.
In We Are Starlings, authors' Robert Furrow & Donna Jo Napoli give readers an inside look at how Sturnus vulgaris (European Starling) account of what inspires these visitors from Europe to suddenly rise up and swoop and twirl through the sky.
Told from the starlings point of view, the narrative begins with the early morning as each bird is eager to begin their day. They take to the air, meeting up with other starlings. The text, pared with Martin's beautiful artwork, rendered in watercolor, pencil and digital collage, readers see the thousand of starlings coming together.
"We twist through the sky like giant snakes/Or fan out like humongous wings/We loop back over ourselves in figure eights/We dance, and dance, and dance."
The lyrical narrative and beautiful illustrations, together, make this a magnificent informational picture book. An uplifting read before starting the day or at bedtime, to inspire some magical dreams.
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