This Way Home

School Library Journal

K-Gr 3-This picture book details the migratory trip of the Savannah sparrow, a song bird that is born on the Minnesota prairie, travels to Georgia for the winter, and goes back North when the warm April breezes blow. This is a poetic account, beautifully illustrated with double-page watercolors, that describes the lands over which the birds travel; the storms, predators, and confusing fog they meet; and the natural forces that guide them. The lyric refrain, ``This way, this way home,'' is repeated throughout so that young children can get caught up in the tale and the rhythm of the journey. An author's note explains the scientific basis for the book. A lovely, informative title that is particularly interesting because it deals with a small, common-looking bird rather than the eagles and owls that usually attract the interest of young children.-Margaret C. Howell, West Springfield Elementary School, VA

Julie Corsaro

Lovely watercolors illustrate a simple, lyrical text that chronicles the first migratory flight of a flock of young sparrows. Using the sun, the stars, and the earth's magnetic field as compasses, the feathered navigators travel more than a thousand miles from the prairie grasslands of Minnesota to the Gulf Coast. There are many dangers along the way: a thunderstorm during the autumn trip, hungry foxes on the winter beach, and a disorienting fog during the spring flight home. The narrative tends to be simplistic, and the information about the earth's magnetic field (the "least understood" clue) needs some clarification. However, the sky scenes in vibrant shades of pink, purple, and blue are breathtaking, making this a book to shelve in the picture-book section. A detailed authorial note that expands upon the natural science is appended.