Amazon Nancy Carol Willis - Artist, Wruter, Nature Lover Birdsong Books Nancy Carol Willis Category:  Children Publisher: Birdsong Books ISBN-10:  0966276108 Type: Non-Fiction Pages: 32 Copyright: Jan 1 1998 "Cheerily, cheerup, cheerily," sings the robin redbreast to herald springtime's arrival. He has flown over 1000 miles to nest in the land where he was born. Join him as he courts a mate and together they build a nest and raise their young. Both parents feed their hungry nestlings every ten minutes from sunrise to sunset. As they grow, predators and other dangers face the young robins. Will they survive to follow their parents south in autumn? Excerpt Two weeks after the robin laid her eggs, there's a tiny crack in one egg. Chip, chip, push - what's happening? Crack, crack -chip, push. It's a chick! Using a tool on the tip of its beak, called an egg tooth, the chick breaks open its shell and wriggles out. The baby robins are weak and helpless. Their eyes are closed and only a few downy feathers cover their pink skin. If you hold a nickel, that's how much a newly hatched robin weighs.

Booklist
“Solid facts about the mating, nesting, and migration habits of the American robin are neatly presented with big, eye-catching illustrations. Readers can follow the baby robin as it emerges from its powder blue egg until it leaves the nest. The detailed, colored-pencil illustrations make this common backyard visitor come alive and remind us why the robin is one of our favorite birds.”

The Midwest Children's Book Review
“Beautifully detailed large-size pencil drawings accompany a clear explanation of the breeding habits of the American robin. Robins are typically covered in more general bird books for kids -- and with none of the attention and color given by this title. Teachers and parents will find it an unusually clear, enticing production.”

School Library Journal
“Beginning with the welcome return of the robin in early spring, Willis details the
creation of the nest, hatching of eggs, feeding and growth of nestlings, and completes the cycle with the return flight south. The realistic colored-pencil illustrations include an inside-the-egg look at the embryo, the hatching of a bird, and a look at a newborn robin. Through the artwork and descriptive narrative, readers follow the nestlings as they develop, grow adult feathers, and become independent. A guide to aiding injured or orphaned songbirds is appended. Bird lovers and other curious folk will enjoy this light, but accurate account of the life cycle of the robin.”