Here are 100 books that Snow Birds fans have personally recommended if you like Snow Birds. Book DNA is a community of 13,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of The Beak Book

Danna Smith Author Of The Hawk of the Castle: A Story of Medieval Falconry

From my list on for children about birds.

Why am I passionate about this?

My father was a life-long falconer. When I was a child, spending time with my father meant spending time with a menagerie of winged friends like goshawks, peregrine falcons, parrots, owls, and even vultures. I didn’t know it back then, but as I went hawking with my dad and helped him care for his beautiful birds, I was gathering a nest of passion and ideas for the writer and poet I would become. Today, I enjoy sharing my love of birds, nature, and books with children (and children at heart).

Danna's book list on for children about birds

Danna Smith Why Danna loves this book

When is a beak not just a beak? When it's a filter, a drill, or an air conditioner, of course! Each beautifully illustrated page focuses on one bird and the wonderful (and sometimes strange) things it can do with its beak. Kids will love learning about the tools birds come equipped with, and perhaps most importantly, the one they use for breaking out of their eggs!

By Robin Page ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Beak Book as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 3, 4, 5, and 6.

What is this book about?

From Caldecott Honor illustrator Robin Page comes this striking nonfiction STEM picture book exploring the fascinating and surprising ways different kinds of birds use their unique beaks.

Birds around the world have so many amazing kinds of beaks! There are short beaks and long beaks, straight beaks and curved beaks, flat beaks and even spoon-shaped beaks. But what do all of these beaks do?

Discover how beaks of different shapes and sizes are adapted to help birds sip nectar, make nests, battle for mates, and more!


If you love Snow Birds...

Book cover of The Afterlife of the Party

The Afterlife of the Party by Darcy Marks,

An interdimensional mixer with angels and other beings brings unexpected trouble for Malachi and his friends in this smart and uniquely funny second book about the squad of teens from hell.

When an angel comes to his home to deliver a message, Malachi immediately knows what’s going on. The seraph…

Book cover of Crane & Crane

Danna Smith Author Of The Hawk of the Castle: A Story of Medieval Falconry

From my list on for children about birds.

Why am I passionate about this?

My father was a life-long falconer. When I was a child, spending time with my father meant spending time with a menagerie of winged friends like goshawks, peregrine falcons, parrots, owls, and even vultures. I didn’t know it back then, but as I went hawking with my dad and helped him care for his beautiful birds, I was gathering a nest of passion and ideas for the writer and poet I would become. Today, I enjoy sharing my love of birds, nature, and books with children (and children at heart).

Danna's book list on for children about birds

Danna Smith Why Danna loves this book

This brief, clever picture book really packs a punch! Readers follow two families building a house for their expected little ones. Each action is presented with one simple word. The human uses a construction crane to GRAB lumber, while on the opposite page, a Sandhill Crane uses its beak to GRAB a stick for the nest. They GLIDE, STACK, PICK, SWAY, and HONK their way through the warm watercolor illustrations until they settle on one word to summarize their accomplishment…HOME.

By Linda Joy Singleton , Richard Smythe (illustrator) ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Crane & Crane as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A sandhill crane lifts a stick. A construction crane lifts a log. The two cranes grab, stretch, and stack, working through bad weather and difficult obstacles toward their end goal: building a home for a new family. Told in a simple sequence of verbs, this colorful picture book demonstrates how the mechanical world mirrors the natural world.


Book cover of Backpack Explorer: Bird Watch: What Will You Find?

Danna Smith Author Of The Hawk of the Castle: A Story of Medieval Falconry

From my list on for children about birds.

Why am I passionate about this?

My father was a life-long falconer. When I was a child, spending time with my father meant spending time with a menagerie of winged friends like goshawks, peregrine falcons, parrots, owls, and even vultures. I didn’t know it back then, but as I went hawking with my dad and helped him care for his beautiful birds, I was gathering a nest of passion and ideas for the writer and poet I would become. Today, I enjoy sharing my love of birds, nature, and books with children (and children at heart).

Danna's book list on for children about birds

Danna Smith Why Danna loves this book

Oh, how I wish I had this book when I was a child! Each brightly illustrated page is rich with close-up photos of various birds to look for, field guides, and tips to follow. It’s jam-packed with every activity bird-loving littles could hope for—games, crafts, a birding log for sightings, sticker badges, and a real magnifying glass! Bird Watch is an excellent book for school field trips, family nature adventures, and the perfect gift for young explorers.

By Editors of Storey Publishing , Oana Befort (illustrator) ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Backpack Explorer as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The third book in the Backpack Explorer series from the Editors of Storey Publishing invites budding naturalists to head outside for a walk - in the woods, a park, or right in their backyard - to spot feathered friends. Backpack Explorer: Bird Watch leads kids aged 4 and up through the basics of birding, from identifying common birds to learning about habitat and migration and listening for bird songs. The pages are packed with prompts and activities, including 12 interactive field guides (for common birds, nests, eggs, tracks, and more), sensory scavenger hunts, activities such as building a bird nest,…


If you love Kirsten Hall...

Book cover of Hazel and Mabel

Hazel and Mabel by Melissa Stoller,

A satisfying story of rediscovering friendship after time spent apart.

For many years, Hazel and Mabel were inseparable. The two friends made up stories, spent the night together, and shared their snacks. Then, Mabel moved away. As time passes, Hazel and Mabel think of each other often, but they also…

Book cover of Hello, World! Birds

Danna Smith Author Of The Hawk of the Castle: A Story of Medieval Falconry

From my list on for children about birds.

Why am I passionate about this?

My father was a life-long falconer. When I was a child, spending time with my father meant spending time with a menagerie of winged friends like goshawks, peregrine falcons, parrots, owls, and even vultures. I didn’t know it back then, but as I went hawking with my dad and helped him care for his beautiful birds, I was gathering a nest of passion and ideas for the writer and poet I would become. Today, I enjoy sharing my love of birds, nature, and books with children (and children at heart).

Danna's book list on for children about birds

Danna Smith Why Danna loves this book

It's never too early to introduce children to the world of birds! This colorful board book with simple information about our feathered friends is a perfect choice. "Peck Peck Peck, the noisy woodpecker is looking for food inside a tree trunk."—curious babies and toddlers will learn animal names, behaviors, and habitats in this sturdy take-along book that is just the right size for little hands!

By Jill McDonald ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Hello, World! Birds as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?



Young children love watching birds. Now here’s a Hello, World! board book that teaches toddlers all about our feathered friends—with colors, shapes, sizes, and super-simple facts. 

Hello, World! is a series designed to introduce first nonfiction concepts to babies and toddlers. Told in clear and easy terms (“Peck, peck, peck! This noisy woodpecker is looking for food inside a tree trunk”) and featuring bright, cheerful illustrations, Hello, World! makes learning fun for young children. And each sturdy page offers helpful prompts for engaging with your child. It’s a perfect way to bring science and nature into the busy world of…


Book cover of One Day This Tree Will Fall

Jilanne Hoffmann Author Of A River of Dust: The Life-Giving Link Between North Africa and the Amazon

From my list on picture books about nature that made me say “WOW!!”.

Why am I passionate about this?

I grew up in a rural area, and loved wandering through the woods, listening to birds, and feeling moss under my toes. Nature always seemed like such wondrous magic. I became an engineer because I loved math and science, but then realized I wanted to share my love of nature with kids. So I earned an MFA in writing and now lean on my science and writing background to make sure that my books and the STEM books I recommend are both well-researched and presented in interesting ways. You can find more of my reviews on my blog for Perfect Picture Book Fridays. I hope the books on my list fill you with wonder, too! 

Jilanne's book list on picture books about nature that made me say “WOW!!”

Jilanne Hoffmann Why Jilanne loves this book

This book made me see trees in a whole new light.

The first page drew me in: “LOOK AT IT. Wounded, worn, twisted, torn. One day, this tree will fall, and this story will end. Won’t it?” Well, hmm. Yes? But then I found out, NO WAY!

From seed to seedling to mature tree, this tree had endured storms, drought, perhaps even a forest fire. It had healed itself, and became a home for birds, butterflies, spiders, tiny rodents, a whole ecosystem. And now, even after its death, it supported new life—a new seedling tree. And so its life goes on.

Oh, this really made me want to hug a tree! True green recycling!!  

By Leslie Barnard Booth , Stephanie Fizer Coleman (illustrator) ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked One Day This Tree Will Fall as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

Discover how a tree’s wounds and decay bring new life to the forest ecosystem in this lyrical nonfiction picture book for fans of Because of an Acorn and A Stone Sat Still.

When a tree falls, is its story over?

There are many ways a tree’s story could end: Gobbled up by a bird as a tiny seed. Damaged by wind or ice or fire. Chopped down and hauled away. But some trees—this tree—survives. And grows old. Riddled with scars, cracks, and crevices, it becomes a place creatures large and small call home.

One day, after standing tall…


Book cover of Hummingbird

Susan Ewing Author Of Alaska Is for the Birds! Fourteen Favorite Feathered Friends

From my list on fun facts about birds and animals.

Why am I passionate about this?

Nature has been my grounding force from the time I could climb the elm tree in my Kentucky backyard. Snuggling down in the branches, listening to the leaves and birds was my happy place. Eventually, nature became a defining element in my work. It started with an Information & Education job at the Washington State Wildlife department and expanded from there to influence my career as a writer. I take great joy in writing about the natural world, my most patient teacher and oldest friend.

Susan's book list on fun facts about birds and animals

Susan Ewing Why Susan loves this book

Sometimes stories from the imagination are the best way to convey concepts in all their layered complexity. Concepts like migration. The beautifully illustrated Hummingbird tells the story of a little girl who moves from her grandmother’s village in Central America to New York City, paralleling a ruby-throated hummingbird’s migratory journey. Information about the hummingbird and its migration are woven seamlessly into the book, shining through the lovely story. 

By Nicola Davies , Jane Ray (illustrator) ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Hummingbird as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"One of the prettiest works of non-fiction you are likely to see... It is ravishing." The Sunday Times

From Nicola Davies, one of the UK's finest non-fiction writers, and from Jane Ray, one of the UK's finest illustrators, comes and exquisite Nature Storybook about ... hummingbirds! A hummingbird is smaller than your thumb and weighs less than a 20 pence piece - however you measure it, it's tiny. But every spring, hummingbirds that have spent the winter in Mexico fly north to make the most of the warmer weather. They nest as far north as Canada and Alaska; a 2,000…


If you love Snow Birds...

Book cover of From Cells to Ourselves: The Story of Evolution

From Cells to Ourselves by Gill Arbuthnott,

4.5 billion years ago, Earth was forming - but nothing could have survived there…

From Cells to Ourselves is the incredible story of how life on earth started and how it gradually evolved from the first simple cells to the abundance of life around us today. Walk with dinosaurs, analyse…

Book cover of Field Book of Wild Birds and Their Music: A Description of the Character and Music of Birds, Intended to Assist in the Identification of Species Common in the Eastern United States

Rachel Mundy Author Of Animal Musicalities: Birds, Beasts, and Evolutionary Listening

From my list on having a voice if you’re not (fully) human.

Why am I passionate about this?

When I was a doctoral student in historical musicology, I went to Paris to study postwar government budgets for music, but it was really boring. So I started hanging out listening to Parisian songbirds instead. The more I learned about birdsong, the more I realized it raised some really big questions, like why biologists and musicians have completely different standards of evidence. Those questions led me to write my book, which is about what it means to sing if you’re not considered fully human, and most of my work today is about how thinking about animals can help us understand what we value in those who are different.

Rachel's book list on having a voice if you’re not (fully) human

Rachel Mundy Why Rachel loves this book

C’mon, doesn’t everybody need a book by a guy who explains that the Black-Billed Cuckoo is finally, finally a bird “who appreciates measured silence such as that which characterizes the opening bars of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony”?

This amazing, idiosyncratic, and beautiful book from 1904 has got pages of gorgeous colored illustrations of birds, musical scores that are a weird hybrid of actual birdsong and random additions the author thinks will “make clear” a bird’s connections to human music, and heartfelt statements like the one above extolling the musical abilities of various American birds.

True, this is not the book to address issues of gender, race, and power in the sensitive and thoughtful ways that Butler and Haraway do. But you won’t care, because you will be having so much fun reading about the Hermit Thrush’s deep connection to the Moonlight Sonata.

By F. Schuyler Mathews ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Field Book of Wild Birds and Their Music as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In this beautifully written and well-illustrated guide to birds' songs from 1904, Mathews describes 127 bird species, mostly of Eastern United States, and their songs. This fieldbook contains descriptions of the physical characteristics and habits of each, as well as detailed comments on their songs and calls. He includes musical scores of at least two songs for each species.


Book cover of Little Bird's Day

Alys Mendus Author Of Searching for the Ideal School Around the World: School Tourism and Performative Autoethnographic-We

From my list on picture books for a 2.5 year old.

Why am I passionate about this?

With our 2.5-year-old we read all the time. She is a great critic, letting us know if the book is to be read ‘again’ or to be put ‘away!’ As well as a PhD in Education, I am also a trained teacher, having worked with preschoolers running Steiner Waldorf inspired parent and child groups and playgroups, so I am fascinated by the power of story. I try and choose books that are inclusive and age-appropriate, keeping the child in a magical space, as well as allowing for lots of laughs! I also love to share books that I am happy to read three times in a row!

Alys' book list on picture books for a 2.5 year old

Alys Mendus Why Alys loves this book

This is another delight that we found in our local library. The illustrations and design of Little Bird’s Day are exquisite – the background colours of the page change as the story moves through the day and at night the page is covered in stars except for the outline of a bird as it dreams about flying across the sky. The story is beautiful and the artwork by Johnny Warrkatja Malibirr is outstanding. It is no surprise that this book was nominated for several book awards in 2020. It should have won all the prizes. Another excellent Indigenous author and illustrator that I hope more people will read and share with their families.

By Sally Morgan , Johnny Warrkatja Malibirr (illustrator) ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Little Bird's Day as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 3, 4, 5, and 6.

What is this book about?

★ "Pairing a lilting text and culturally resonant illustrations, this striking work soars." —Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

★ "From two Indigenous creators, this gorgeous glimpse at the land Down Under will have broad appeal." —Horn Book, Starred Review

A joyful, universal story of a day in the life of Little Bird.

A heartening read-aloud about a day in the life of Little Bird, who sings the world alive, flies with Cloud, travels with Wind, nestles with Moon, and dreams of flying among the stars.

Sally Morgan’s poetic language and Johnny Warrkatja Malibirr’s sensitive artwork combine to make this…


Book cover of Asha and the Spirit Bird

Giulietta M. Spudich Author Of The Lost Goddess

From my list on girl-power and magic.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was an avid reader from the age of six. Books inspired me and, as a shy girl, stories helped me find the confidence to be myself. I felt amazed and inspired by reading – finding out about parts of the world I had never been to. Especially as an adult, I’ve been blessed with wonderful, female friends. These are the themes I explore now in my books. I hope to inspire young readers to be themselves and celebrate friendship. I love travelling and nature. I've lived in various parts of the US and England. Through my writing, I hope to share the wonder of different cultures and natural settings.

Giulietta's book list on girl-power and magic

Giulietta M. Spudich Why Giulietta loves this book

Asha is a wonderfully brave character who sets out on a dangerous adventure to find her father. She connects with a lamagaia bird, which she believes is the spirit of her grandmother. This bird leads her from her village at the foothills of the Himalayas through India. I loved the exotic setting and the realistic challenges Asha faces. She rises to each challenge with bravery and continues on with loyalty for her friends and family. A beautiful, inspiring book.

By Jasbinder Bilan ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Asha and the Spirit Bird as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

Winner of the Costa Children's Book Award 2019
Winner of the Times/Chicken House Children's Fiction Competition
2017
Shortlisted for the Waterstones
Children's Book Prize 2020
Longlisted
for the Jhalak Prize 2019
Chosen as one of
the Guardian's Best Books of 2019

'This book is such a light-filled, huge-hearted delight of
an adventure.' KATHERINE RUNDELL

'An evocative debut novel ... satisfyingly classic in feel'
GUARDIAN

'A heartfelt and mystical children's adventure story.'
TELEGRAPH

Asha lives in the foothills of the Himalayas. Money is tight and
she misses her papa who works in the city. When he suddenly stops
sending his wages,…


If you love Kirsten Hall...

Book cover of Scout and the Rescue Dogs

Scout and the Rescue Dogs by Dianne Wolfer,

The summer holidays have finally arrived and Scout can’t wait for her adventure in the big rig with Dad. They’re on a mission to deliver donations of dog food to animal rescue shelters right across the state. There’ll be dad-jokes, rock-collecting, and a brilliant plan that will make sure everyone’s…

Book cover of Bob the Artist

Lou Kuenzler Author Of Calm Down, Zebra

From my list on artistic expression.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a children’s writer I have to draw on my own creativity, celebrate my own ideas and quash self-doubt every time I work on a story. I teach creative writing, run workshops, and visit schools regularly – above all, I want to instill courage and the love of bold imagination in children. Picture book age children have such fantastic creativity and joyous wonder at the world around them. How wonderful to see that creative energy reflected back in a story which will hopefully spark more journeys into wonderful invented places, spaces, pictures, and tales. Imagination has brought me such great joy, I hope I can pass a spark of that onwards...

Lou's book list on artistic expression

Lou Kuenzler Why Lou loves this book

With simple and stunning illustrations we see long-legged Bob the bird learn to celebrate himself with a relaxed and creative flourish. Once seen, you will never forget those wonderful knobbly knees! Bob’s adventures cleverly and accessibly introduce art appreciation in a whole new way as he celebrates not only his own individuality but that of great artists too.

By Marion Deuchars ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Bob the Artist as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 3, 4, 5, and 6.

What is this book about?

Bob the bird is just like all his friends, apart from his skinny legs. When Bob is teased, he decides to try and change himself to fit in. But little does he know where all his efforts will lead him...

An affirming picture book for age 3+ about the power of art and of being confident enough to be yourself.


Book cover of The Beak Book
Book cover of Crane & Crane
Book cover of Backpack Explorer: Bird Watch: What Will You Find?

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