100 books like The Sky Painter

By Margarita Engle, Aliona Bereghici (illustrator),

Here are 100 books that The Sky Painter fans have personally recommended if you like The Sky Painter. Shepherd is a community of 9,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Feathers

By Melissa Stewart, Sarah S. Brannen (illustrator),

Book cover of Feathers: Not Just for Flying

Peggy Thomas Author Of For the Birds: The Life of Roger Tory Peterson

From the list on for budding birders.

By Peggy Thomas Author

Who am I?

I’ve always loved birds, especially the red-winged black birds; their song was the first I learned to recognize as a kid. My first field guide was written by Roger Tory Peterson, and through that book and many others I’ve learned about the amazing world around us. Now, as a children’s nonfiction author, I get to share similar stories with young readers through my books and at school presentations. And as a writing instructor, I collect well-crafted and well-researched nonfiction, and use them to encourage budding children’s writers at workshops, in blog posts for the Nonfiction Ninjas, and as co-host of the annual Nonfiction Fest that celebrates true stories for children.

Peggy's book list on for budding birders

Book cover of Feathers: Not Just for Flying Book cover of Finding a Dove for Gramps Book cover of Counting Birds: The Idea That Helped Save Our Feathered Friends Book cover of The Boy Who Drew Birds: A Story of John James Audubon Book cover of The Sky Painter: Louis Fuertes, Bird Artist

Why did Peggy love this book?

For this recommendation, I’ve chosen something different. 

Every bird nerd should know the bird basics, and Melissa Stewart’s book on feathers is the perfect place to begin. You’re sure to learn something new. I did. I had no idea that feathers came in so many different shapes and sizes. You might be surprised, too, to discover all the things feathers can do. I won’t give them all away, but some are used for warmth, and others for floating! 

Bird lovers will also appreciate the illustrations by Sarah Brannen, which resemble a naturalist’s sketchbook. They may even inspire you to create one of your own.

Feathers

By Melissa Stewart, Sarah S. Brannen (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Feathers as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Young naturalists explore sixteen birds in this elegant introduction to the many, remarkable uses of feathers. A concise main text highlights how feathers are not just for flying. More curious readers are invited to dig deeper with informative sidebars that underscore how feathers of all shapes and sizes help birds with warming or cooling, protect them from the sun, help them swim, glide or even dig. With a range of common and exotic species readers will be engaged by both the new and the familiar. Beautiful and delicate watercolor illustrations showcase life-size feathers and compare them to everyday objects. With…

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Counting Birds

By Heidi E. Y. Stemple, Clover Robin (illustrator),

Book cover of Counting Birds: The Idea That Helped Save Our Feathered Friends

Peggy Thomas Author Of For the Birds: The Life of Roger Tory Peterson

From the list on for budding birders.

By Peggy Thomas Author

Who am I?

I’ve always loved birds, especially the red-winged black birds; their song was the first I learned to recognize as a kid. My first field guide was written by Roger Tory Peterson, and through that book and many others I’ve learned about the amazing world around us. Now, as a children’s nonfiction author, I get to share similar stories with young readers through my books and at school presentations. And as a writing instructor, I collect well-crafted and well-researched nonfiction, and use them to encourage budding children’s writers at workshops, in blog posts for the Nonfiction Ninjas, and as co-host of the annual Nonfiction Fest that celebrates true stories for children.

Peggy's book list on for budding birders

Book cover of Feathers: Not Just for Flying Book cover of Finding a Dove for Gramps Book cover of Counting Birds: The Idea That Helped Save Our Feathered Friends Book cover of The Boy Who Drew Birds: A Story of John James Audubon Book cover of The Sky Painter: Louis Fuertes, Bird Artist

Why did Peggy love this book?

Believe it or not, a long time ago hunters would go out on Christmas day and shoot as many birds as they could. I know! What an awful tradition! Yikes! Fortunately, Frank Chapman thought it was awful, too. This book shows how he campaigned for bird lovers to count birds rather than shoot them. 

Today, millions of people participate in the Christmas Bird Count. Their data helps scientists keep track of bird populations. The best part is that anyone can participate. Counting Birds reminds us that one person really can make a difference.

Counting Birds

By Heidi E. Y. Stemple, Clover Robin (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Counting Birds as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Everyday kids learn how they can help protect bird species, near and far, with the award-winning book Counting Birds-the real-life story behind the first annual bird count.

What can you do to help endangered animals and make a positive change in our environment? Get counting! Counting Birds is a beautifully illustrated book that introduces kids to the idea of bird counts and bird watches. Along the way, they will learn about Frank Chapman, an ornithologist who wanted to see the end of the traditional Christmas bird hunt, an event in which people would shoot as many birds as possible on…

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The Boy Who Drew Birds

By Melissa Sweet,

Book cover of The Boy Who Drew Birds: A Story of John James Audubon

Peggy Thomas Author Of For the Birds: The Life of Roger Tory Peterson

From the list on for budding birders.

By Peggy Thomas Author

Who am I?

I’ve always loved birds, especially the red-winged black birds; their song was the first I learned to recognize as a kid. My first field guide was written by Roger Tory Peterson, and through that book and many others I’ve learned about the amazing world around us. Now, as a children’s nonfiction author, I get to share similar stories with young readers through my books and at school presentations. And as a writing instructor, I collect well-crafted and well-researched nonfiction, and use them to encourage budding children’s writers at workshops, in blog posts for the Nonfiction Ninjas, and as co-host of the annual Nonfiction Fest that celebrates true stories for children.

Peggy's book list on for budding birders

Book cover of Feathers: Not Just for Flying Book cover of Finding a Dove for Gramps Book cover of Counting Birds: The Idea That Helped Save Our Feathered Friends Book cover of The Boy Who Drew Birds: A Story of John James Audubon Book cover of The Sky Painter: Louis Fuertes, Bird Artist

Why did Peggy love this book?

Before Roger Tory Peterson, there was Louis. Before Louis, there was John James Audubon – another amazing wildlife artist. But what makes this picture book biography different is that the author Jacqueline Davies shows how John J. solved a century’s old mystery – Where do birds go in winter?

Intensely curious, John J. decided to tie a tiny piece of wire around a bird’s leg. You’ll have to read the book to find out what happened next, but I think you’ll agree that John’s simple experiment was one of the biggest innovations in ornithology. Beautifully written and illustrated, this book is one to add to your life list.  

The Boy Who Drew Birds

By Melissa Sweet,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Boy Who Drew Birds as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

John James Audubon was a boy who loved the out-of-doors more than the in. He was a boy who believed in studying birds in nature, not just from books. And, in the fall of 1804, he was a boy determined to learn if the small birds nesting near his Pennsylvania home really would return the following spring. This book reveals how the youthful Audubon pioneered a technique essential to our understanding of birds. Capturing the early passion of America's greatest painter of birds, this story will leave young readers listening intently for the call of birds large and small near…

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Finding a Dove for Gramps

By Lisa J. Amstutz, Maria Luisa Di Gravio (illustrator),

Book cover of Finding a Dove for Gramps

Peggy Thomas Author Of For the Birds: The Life of Roger Tory Peterson

From the list on for budding birders.

By Peggy Thomas Author

Who am I?

I’ve always loved birds, especially the red-winged black birds; their song was the first I learned to recognize as a kid. My first field guide was written by Roger Tory Peterson, and through that book and many others I’ve learned about the amazing world around us. Now, as a children’s nonfiction author, I get to share similar stories with young readers through my books and at school presentations. And as a writing instructor, I collect well-crafted and well-researched nonfiction, and use them to encourage budding children’s writers at workshops, in blog posts for the Nonfiction Ninjas, and as co-host of the annual Nonfiction Fest that celebrates true stories for children.

Peggy's book list on for budding birders

Book cover of Feathers: Not Just for Flying Book cover of Finding a Dove for Gramps Book cover of Counting Birds: The Idea That Helped Save Our Feathered Friends Book cover of The Boy Who Drew Birds: A Story of John James Audubon Book cover of The Sky Painter: Louis Fuertes, Bird Artist

Why did Peggy love this book?

This is a fictional story about a boy searching for his Gramps’s favorite bird during the Christmas Bird Count. 

I’m sure there are many young readers who don’t think they know enough to participate in something so grand as the Christmas Bird Count. But I’m confident that this book will reassure them that they know more than they think as they confidently identify the birds deftly illustrated by Maria Luisa Di Gravio. Lisa Amstutz, the author, has also included in the backmatter a birding checklist to get little bird nerds started. I think this story will inspire a lot of families to start their own birding tradition.

Finding a Dove for Gramps

By Lisa J. Amstutz, Maria Luisa Di Gravio (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Finding a Dove for Gramps as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A heart-warming story about nature, birds, and a family tradition.

A boy and his mom continue the family tradition of participating in the annual bird count. Since Gramps went South for the winter, the boy hopes to spot Gramps's favorite bird for him—a dove! But with so many different birds in the nature preserve, will he be able to spot one? This heart-warming family story about nature celebrates a holiday census that was first started in 1900 and happens every year.

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Big Twitch

By Sean Dooley,

Book cover of Big Twitch: One Man, One Continent, a Race Against Time - A True Story about Birdwatching

Tim Low Author Of Where Song Began: Australia's Birds and How They Changed the World

From the list on opening your eyes to Australian birds.

By Tim Low Author

Who am I?

I’m an Australian zoologist, botanist, and best-selling prize-winning writer. An earlier book of mine, Feral Future, inspired the formation of the Invasive Species Council, an Australian conservation lobby group. My Where Song Began, was a best-seller that became the first nature book to win the Australian Book Industry Award for best General Non Fiction. It was republished in the US. I have co-edited Wildlife Australia magazine and written for many magazines and newspapers, including nature columns as well as features. As a teenager I discovered new lizard species, one of which was named after me.

Tim's book list on opening your eyes to Australian birds

Book cover of Handbook to The Birds of Australia Book cover of Bird Love Book cover of Big Twitch: One Man, One Continent, a Race Against Time - A True Story about Birdwatching Book cover of The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think Book cover of Flight Lines: Across the Globe on a Journey with the Astonishing Ultramarathon Birds

Why did Tim love this book?

Twitchers pursuing long lists of bird sightings can seem to be fixated rather than appreciating nature in a sensible way.

Sean Dooley achieves something unlikely by showing that a world ruled by a "near-autistic obsession for list-making" has a lot going for it, because birds are wondrous things that lure birders to amazing places, providing access to something transcending everyday life. Dooley’s quest is to break the record for the number of species seen in Australia in one year.

His parents died young of cancer leaving him at age 33 with enough money to buy a comfortable house in the outer suburbs of Melbourne but instead he blows it on a four-wheel drive and a year of bird-obsessed travel that entailed 80 000 kilometres of driving, 60 000 kilometres in the air and 2 000 kilometres by boat. (Meaning, regrettably, a large carbon footprint.)

Dooley scored a record 703 species…

Big Twitch

By Sean Dooley,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Big Twitch as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Sean Dooley seems like a well adjusted, functioning member of society but beneath the respectable veneer he harbours a dark secret. He is a hard-core birdwatcher (aka twitcher').Sean takes a year off to try to break the Australian twitching record - he has to see more than 700 birds in twelve months. Travelling the length and breadth of Australia, he stops at nothing in search of this birdwatching Holy Grail, blowing his inheritance, his career prospects and any chance he has of finding a girlfriend.Part confessional, part travelogue, this is a true story about obsession. It's about seeking the meaning…

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Look Up!

By Annette LeBlanc Cate,

Book cover of Look Up!: Bird-Watching in Your Own Backyard

Jennifer Ward Author Of How to Find a Bird

From the list on for budding young birders.

By Jennifer Ward Author

Who am I?

I’m the author of more than 25 award-winning books for children, including Mama Built a Little Nest, illustrated by Steve Jenkins, and I Love Birds! 52 Ways to Wonder, Wander and Explore Birds with Kids, illustrated by Alexander Vidal. When not writing, I help rehabilitate injured and orphaned songbirds, I study bird behavior, and I further my knowledge about birds through books and scholarly journals. Birds offer a constant source of discovery and wonder. I hope the books I’ve recommended offer a source of discovery and wonder for your young readers, too!

Jennifer's book list on for budding young birders

Book cover of An Egg Is Quiet Book cover of Counting Birds: The Idea That Helped Save Our Feathered Friends Book cover of Look Up!: Bird-Watching in Your Own Backyard Book cover of Beaks! Book cover of Feathers: Not Just for Flying

Why did Jennifer love this book?

What can I say? I am an adult who’s an avid birder (I take joy in observing them daily), I work with wild bird rehabilitation (sounds like a sweet job, but it’s actually quite taxing), I photograph birds (I try!), I count the bird species in my backyard (over 100 species and know many of them personally), and I write professionally about birds - - and I learned so much about birds from this clever children’s book!  It’s a must-have for any budding birder and birding family. I love the quirky design (speech bubbles!) -and most importantly, the cleverly presented facts about birding and the bird world. Check it out.


Look Up!

By Annette LeBlanc Cate,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

A 2014 Robert F. Sibert Honor Book

You don’t have to own binoculars and know a bunch of fancy Latin names to watch birds! No matter where you live, they’re in your neighborhood — just look up.

This conversational, humorous introduction to bird-watching encourages kids to get outdoors with a sketchbook and really look around. Quirky full-color illustrations portray dozens of birds chatting about their distinctive characteristics, including color, shape, plumage, and beak and foot types, while tongue-in-cheek cartoons feature banter between birds, characters, and the reader (“Here I am, the noble spruce grouse. In a spruce grove. Eatin’ some…

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Backpack Explorer

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

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 the list on for children about birds.

By Danna Smith Author

Who am I?

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

Book cover of Hello, World! Birds Book cover of Snow Birds Book cover of Backpack Explorer: Bird Watch: What Will You Find? Book cover of Crane & Crane Book cover of The Beak Book

Why did Danna love 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.

Backpack Explorer

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,…

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How to Find a Bird

By Jennifer Ward, Diana Sudyka (illustrator),

Book cover of How to Find a Bird

Maria Gianferrari Author Of Whoo-Ku Haiku: A Great Horned Owl Story

From the list on read aloud bird books for kids.

By Maria Gianferrari Author

Who am I?

I may not be an expert ornithologist, but I am an avid “birdologist” to borrow a term from Sy Montgomery—one who is awed and fascinated by all things bird. Bird-watching is meditative—it helps me to be present and to feel joyful. I love reading, learning, and writing about birds too! I am the author of these bird books: Hawk Rising, illustrated by Brian Floca, Whoo-Ku Haiku, illustrated by Jonathan Voss, and the forthcoming You and the Bowerbird, illustrated by Maris Wicks. I love writing about the natural world and its inhabitants as well as dogs—another love of mine!

Maria's book list on read aloud bird books for kids

Book cover of Vulture View Book cover of Mel Fell Book cover of You Nest Here with Me Book cover of The Nest That Wren Built Book cover of How to Find a Bird

Why did Maria love this book?

Both Jennifer Ward and Diana Sudyka are two of my favorite kid lit creators, and this brilliant collaboration begs to be read aloud. Ward’s lyrical text sings as an introductory guide for the littlest bird watchers, showing them where to look for birds: up to see them fly and roost—but not just up—down on the ground where birds nest, straight ahead where they blend with bark, on and under the water. And if you put out a birdfeeder, all you need is a window-view. But what’s the best way to find a bird? To listen—birdsong is all around us! Sudyka’s gorgeously intricate art paints the avian details of all the found birds. Don’t miss the back matter for bird-watching tips.

How to Find a Bird

By Jennifer Ward, Diana Sudyka (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked How to Find a Bird as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A joyful and informative guide to birdwatching for budding young birders from an award-winning author-illustrator duo.

How do you find a bird? There are so many ways! Begin by watching. And listening. And staying quiet, so quiet you can hear your own heartbeat. Soon you’ll see that there are birds everywhere—up in the sky, down on the ground, sometimes even right in front of you just waiting to be discovered!

Young bird lovers will adore this lushly illustrated introduction to how to spot and observe our feathered friends. It features more than fifty different species, from the giant whooping crane…

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A History of Birdwatching in 100 Objects

By David Callahan,

Book cover of A History of Birdwatching in 100 Objects

Lesley Adkins Author Of When There Were Birds

From the list on the history of British birds.

By Lesley Adkins Author

Who am I?

Having grown up on the south coast of Hampshire, I love both the countryside and the sea. After studying ancient history, archaeology, and Latin at the University of Bristol, I worked for many years as a field archaeologist and met my husband Roy on an excavation of a Roman villa at Milton Keynes. We have worked together ever since, as archaeologists and as authors of books on archaeology, ancient history, naval history, and social history. Our wide-ranging interests proved invaluable when writing our book When There Were Birds.

Lesley's book list on the history of British birds

Book cover of The Birds of Shakespeare: Critically examined, explained, and illustrated Book cover of The Birds of Devon Book cover of Birds Britannica Book cover of A History of Birdwatching in 100 Objects Book cover of Book of British Birds

Why did Lesley love this book?

The author was one of the earliest (if not the earliest) to write a history of a subject using a specific number of objects. In this book, he describes the development of observing birds through the medium of 100 objects, of which a surprising selection is presented, all well illustrated, from prehistoric paintings to more recent technology.  Possibly the most curious is a stuffed extinct dodo at the Horniman Museum in London. It was actually a deceptive piece made by a leading taxidermist using plaster casts, chicken wings, and swan, goose, and ostrich feathers.

A History of Birdwatching in 100 Objects

By David Callahan,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A History of Birdwatching in 100 Objects as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This book looks at 100 items that have profoundly shaped how people watched, studied and engaged with the avian world. Each item contains around 500 words on a double-page spread and include an illustration of the object in question. The book includes the objects listed below as well as many more.The range of items is international and cross-cultural. Subjects include:

An Egyptian 'field guide' [early tomb decorations of birds, identifiable as species]
Ornithologiae libri tres: the first British bird guide [a 1676 publication that attempted to itemise all British birds known at the time]
The Dodo specimen held at the…

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The Sibley Guide to Birds

By David Allen Sibley,

Book cover of The Sibley Guide to Birds

Jonathan Balcombe Author Of Super Fly: The Unexpected Lives of the World's Most Successful Insects

From the list on understanding birds.

By Jonathan Balcombe Author

Who am I?

I started watching animals as soon as I could walk. That eventually led to a PhD in animal behavior and a career in animal protection. I now focus my energies on writing books that seek to improve our understanding of, and most importantly our relations with, other animals. I've written four previous books: Pleasurable Kingdom, Second Nature, The Exultant Ark, and What a Fish Knows (a New York Times best-seller now available in fifteen languages). I live in Belleville, Ontario where I enjoy biking, baking, birding, Bach, and trying to understand the neighborhood squirrels.

Jonathan's book list on understanding birds

Book cover of Providence of a Sparrow: Lessons from a Life Gone to the Birds Book cover of Birdology: Adventures with Hip Hop Parrots, Cantankerous Cassowaries, Crabby Crows, Peripatetic Pigeons, Hens, Hawks, and Hummingbirds Book cover of Birds as Individuals Book cover of The Sibley Guide to Birds Book cover of The Human Nature of Birds: A Scientific Discovery with Startling Implications

Why did Jonathan love this book?

This beautifully illustrated, comprehensive book is a must-have for bird enthusiasts. It is not only a useful guide to identifying birds, but also an illuminating source on little-known aspects of bird behavior.

The Sibley Guide to Birds

By David Allen Sibley,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Sibley Guide to Birds as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

“Undoubtedly the finest guide to North American birds.”—Guy McCaskie, Birding


The publication of The Sibley Guide to Birds, First Edition quickly established David Allen Sibley as the author and illustrator of the nation’s supreme and most comprehensive guide to birds. Used by millions of birders from novices to the most expert, The Sibley Guide became the standard by which natural history guides are measured. The highly anticipated second edition builds on this foundation of excellence, offering massively expanded and updated information, new paintings, new and rare species, and a new, elegant design.


The second edition of this handsome, flexibound volume…

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5 book lists we think you will like!

The best picture books for budding birders
The best picture books for budding young birders
The best read aloud bird books for kids
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The best books for understanding and appreciating birds

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