Why am I passionate about this?

While developing Nest, I lived in the Presidio National Park. A plum tree grew right outside the kitchen window and I had a year-round view of the robins living there. Those backyard birds were magical - from their flying and singing to their feathers and eggs. Spending hours watching them while cooking inspired me to share their world with my world. I have a degree in art history from Princeton and a law degree from Stanford. I worked as a textile designer in New York before going out on my own as an author and artist. Currently, I share a studio with my architect-husband and I draw every day.


I wrote

Nest

By Jorey Hurley,

Book cover of Nest

What is my book about?

Simple text and beautiful illustrations follow a baby bird through the seasons in this sweet tale. From birth, to firstā€¦

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Fly High, Fly Low

Jorey Hurley Why did I love this book?

This book was a favorite from my own childhood and, more recently, I loved reading it to my own kids. The story has just the right amount of drama as the father bird searches high and low for his missing family. I also think itā€™s fun to see a story about birds with a predominantly urban setting (it is about pigeons living in San Francisco), though I may be biased because itā€™s set near where I live today. 

By Don Freeman,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

A Caldecott Honor book from the highly acclaimed author and illustrator of Corduroy!

Sid the pigeon is very choosy about finding just the right home in the magnificent city of san Francisco. And find it he does, in the loop of a huge b in an electric sign high up on a skyscraper. Sid's view of San Francisco is without equal. So Sid asks the lovely dove Midge to share his home. But one morning, while Midge is taking her turn sitting on two eggs, disaster strikes. A truck comes and workers take down the letters on the skyscraper oneā€¦


Book cover of Feathers for Lunch

Jorey Hurley Why did I love this book?

Although many of Lois Ehlertā€™s works are now classics, I wasnā€™t familiar with her work until I was an adult. Her illustration style and simplicity of her books have had a big impact on my work. This book about the greatest enemy of backyard birds (the housecat) is graphically gorgeous and (spoiler alert) ends with a hungry cat and all the birds unharmed. 

By Lois Ehlert,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

An escaped house cat encounters twelve common birds in the backyard but captures only feathers for lunch. Includes bird guide. ā€œDestined to become an uncontested favorite with many children and adults.ā€--The Horn Book


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Book cover of Funny Folk Tales for Children

Funny Folk Tales for Children by Allison Galbraith,

These are the funniest folktales in the world. You will be amazed at the intelligent animals and LOL at the ridiculous scrapes the humans get themselves into in these short stories. Discover why dogs are our best friends, learn how to change a cow into a zombie, and meet aā€¦

Book cover of Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!

Jorey Hurley Why did I love this book?

Though itā€™s kind of incidental that itā€™s about a bird, Iā€™m including it because it is hands-down one of my favorite read-aloud books for little kids. Itā€™s great for a group of noisy preschoolers and equally good to snuggle up and read one-on-one with a child. Kids love knowing better than the pigeon and really love being the one to lay down the law with this silly bird and his repeated, ridiculous questions. Because every preschooler knows that you donā€™t let the pigeon drive the bus

By Mo Willems,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! 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?

When the bus driver decides to take a break from driving, a wild and wacky pigeon pleads and begs to take his place, in a hilarious picture book that perfectly captures a preschooler's temper tantrum.


Book cover of Mama Built a Little Nest

Jorey Hurley Why did I love this book?

I recommend this book because of my love of Steve Jenkinsā€™s illustrations. I think he is one of the great illustrators of animals for kids' books, and his work is a perfect blend of accuracy and abstraction. In this book, his illustrations are paired with Jennifer Wardā€™s charming text thatā€™s well suited to read aloud to the youngest children.  

By Jennifer Ward, Steve Jenkins (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Mama Built a Little Nest 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?

A delightful exploration of the incredibly variety of nests birds build for their babies, illustrated by a Caldecott Honoree.

Mama built a little nest
inside a sturdy trunk.
She used her beak to tap-tap-tap
the perfect place to bunk.

There are so many different kinds of birds-and those birds build so many different kinds of nests to keep their babies cozy. With playful, bouncy rhyme, Jennifer Ward explores nests large and small, silky and cottony, muddy and twiggy-and all the birds that call them home!


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Book cover of You Yet Shall Die

You Yet Shall Die by Jennifer Barraclough,

"I'm Nicky. Your little sister." With these words from a stranger, Hilda's quiet existence in a marshland cottage with her rescue cats is turned upside down. She resolves to find out the truth about her parents' marriage, her father's secret life and her mother's untimely death. 

Hildaā€™s brother Dunstan isā€¦

Book cover of Make Way for Ducklings

Jorey Hurley Why did I love this book?

This classic, set in Boston, is a nice east coast counterpart to Fly High, Fly Low, which is based in San Francisco. Also about a bird family on the move through the city, anyone who has seen a string of ducklings trailing their mother will acknowledge that such a procession is worth the traffic-stopping disruption they cause here.   

By Robert McCloskey,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Make Way for Ducklings 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?

This brilliantly illustrated, amusingly observed tale of Mallards on the move has won the hearts of generations of readers. Awarded the Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children in 1941, it has since become a favourite of millions. This classic tale of the famous Mallard ducks of Boston is available for the first time in a full-sized paperback edition. Make Way for Ducklings has been described as "one of the merriest picture books ever" (The New York Times). Ideal for reading aloud, this book deserves a place of honor on every child's bookshelf.


Explore my book šŸ˜€

Nest

By Jorey Hurley,

Book cover of Nest

What is my book about?

Simple text and beautiful illustrations follow a baby bird through the seasons in this sweet tale. From birth, to first flight, to a new friend, the first year of a birdā€™s life is full of activity and wonder. The book Nest pairs vivid, crisp artwork with simple, minimal textā€”often just one word per spreadā€”to create a breathtaking, peaceful chronicle of nature and lifeā€™s milestones.

Book cover of Fly High, Fly Low
Book cover of Feathers for Lunch
Book cover of Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!

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