ALA Booklist (Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2018)

Like its companion book, My Awesome Summer, by P. Mantis (2017), this volume is called A Nature Diary. In dated entries, a bluebird records her experiences during her first year. On June 1, she hatches and opens her beak to be fed. Over the next few days, she is able to hear and then see her siblings. They eat bugs and grow feathers. One of the fledglings leaves the nest and flies to a nearby branch. Soon all the young birds take wing. In October, they fly to a warmer place, returning in March. The bluebird now finds a mate, builds a nest, and lays five eggs that hatch in early June, bringing the story full circle. Created with acrylic ink and digitally enhanced, Meisel's handsome artwork shows a strong sense of color and form in depicting the natural world. The larger scenes are particularly striking. In the text, a simply written narrative traces the bluebird's growth from chick to mother bird, while illustrated notes offer additional facts. A clearly presented, informative introduction to a bird's life cycle.

Horn Book (Thu Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2019)

June 4. I still cant see. Eating lots of bugs...

Kirkus Reviews

An Eastern bluebird recounts the first year of her life.Again relying on his own backyard observations as well as credited experts, Meisel offers a follow-up to his much-admired My Awesome Summer, by P. Mantis (2017). This description of a bluebird's life is straightforward in its content but versatile in its presentation. What might ordinarily be backmatter, appropriate for a relatively advanced reader, comes first: a spread offering a general description of the species illustrated with images of male and female birds and their foods, along with the map to show the range. The rest of the text is just right for beginners. Short, dated journal entries are set on appealing acrylic paintings of the birds and their surroundings. Working through the year from E. Bluebird's birthday in June to the hatching of her own chicks the following summer, the author/illustrator describes important stages: a blind beginning, feeding and pooping in the nest, the first scary flight, the joy of flying, migration south and back up north, finding a mate, building a nest, and laying eggs of her own. Actual backmatter includes a short glossary and suggestions for further learning or doing. Less informative overall than Pamela F. Kirby's photo essay What Bluebirds Do (2009), this is more accessible for beginners, with its simple vocabulary, short sentences, and first-person narrative. The pair would complement each other nicely on a nature shelf. For fledgling readers, another appreciation of the natural world. (Informational picture book. 4-8)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

An eastern bluebird narrates the second installment of Meisel-s A Nature Diary series. Born in a nesting box, E. Bluebird-s anthropomorphic musings relate the milestones of her first year, from hatching and fledging to migrating and mating. As in My Awesome Summer by P. Mantis, the animal at the center of this life cycle story keeps her dated entries short and sweet. -September 28: I see a flock of Bluebirds. We-re going south! I catch up with my family just in time.- Close-ups of the narrator as a chick, squawking hungrily and sleeping with her siblings, give way to ground-up or bird-s-eye views as flocks head out for the winter. The dynamic illustrations, rendered in digitally enhanced acrylics, imagine the simple tale in rich colors: a field of orange pumpkins precedes a gray sky full of migrating bluebirds, which segues into scenes featuring the tropical greenery (and predators!) of E. Bluebird-s winter home. A fact-filled introduction and a concluding glossary and resource list offer plenty of detailed information for ornithologically inclined readers. Ages 4-8. Agent: Jennifer Mattson, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (Mar.)