Cover of On Bird Hill by Jane Yolen

On Bird Hill

Illustrated by Bob Marstall
Cornell Lab Publishing Group (May 10, 2016)
ISBN-10: 1943645027
ISBN-13: 978-1943645022

I began this book (a tribute to a cam song I loved, “The Green Grass Grows All Around”) when I saw Bob Marstall’s latest work. Bob, an old friend of 35 plus years, had up to that time been notable for his careful, realistic landscapes and nature books. He won an Orbis Pictus award among other honors for them. But he showed me a secret stash of what he called his “doodles.” And though I went home and wrote the first draft of this book in a couple of hours, I was still playing with it when, about five years later, we sold it to Cornell that was just starting up a children’s book like.

The On Bird Hill and Beyond series:

What reviewers have said:

  • “A sweetly surreal meditation on the everyday wonders that await in the wild.” — Publisher’s Weekly
  • *STARRED REVIEW* “An imaginative and original depiction of one of life’s everyday miracles.” — Kirkus Reviews
  • “Perfect rhyme…we are all explorers once we leave our egg and look around…Marstall’s curving lines and paths draw the reader in…underscoring the intertwined relationship of humans and nature.” — Booklist
  • “Along with the thought-provoking art, the poem’s satisfying verses serve as a great jumping-off point for a nature wall or a bird-watching adventure for even the youngest listeners.” — School Library Journal
  • “Author Jane Yolen and Illustrator Bob Marstall have hit upon just the right balance of simple, ready for bedtime story telling with amazing huge splash page art.” — Beyond the Car Seat
  • “This book is special…with the wonderful words of Jane Yolen…lovely rhythm, It opens your eyes to the extraordinary in the ordinary of nature…a great start for the Cornell Lab’s new publishing group. I look forward to more books in the series.” — NC Teacher Stuff
  • “The illustrations of the chick’s birth express the newborn bird’s wonder and joy, and his mother’s quiet love. The observant reader can find many delightful details on every page. A Charming story that draws us in.” — Can You Read Me A Story Blog
  • This first book in a series that Jane Yolen is creating for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology is an invitation to take a nature walk and do some birding.”—Literacy Daily
  • *STARRED REVIEW* “An imaginative and original depiction of one of life’s everyday miracles.”–Kirkus
  • “It’s a sweetly surreal meditation on the everyday wonders that await in the wild.”– Publisher’s Weekly
  • “Along with the thought-provoking art, the poem’s satisfying verses serve as a great jumping-off point for a nature wall or a bird-watching adventure for even the youngest listeners..”—School library Journal
  • “Perfect rhyme…we are all explorers once we leave our egg and look around…Marstall’s curving lines and paths draw the reader in…underscoring the intertwined relationship of humans and nature.”—Booklist Reader
  • “Author Jane Yolen and Illustrator Bob Marstall have hit upon just the right balance of simple, ready for bedtime story telling with amazing huge splash page art.”– Blog Review, Beyond the Car Seat
  • “The illustrations of the chick’s birth express the newborn bird’s wonder and joy, and his mother’s quiet love. The observant reader can find many delightful details on every page. A Charming story that draws us in.”–Blog Review, Can You Read Me a Story
  • “This book is special…with the wonderful words of Jane Yolen…lovely rhythm, It opens your eyes to the extraordinary in the ordinary of nature…a great start for the Cornell Lab’s new publishing group. I look forward to more books in the series.”—Blog Review, NC Teacher Stuff
  • “Besides the fun rhymes, is Bob Marstall’s fanciful artwork. He evokes a Seussian habitat with brightly colored insects and a wild-feathered chick.”– Sally’s Bookshelf: reviewing STEM titles for librarians, teachers and educators
  • “A master author has created a poem that dances and lifts, accompanied by illustrations that surprise and delight.”—Blog Review, Waking Brain Cells