Robin's Home — Jeannine Atkins

A robin learns to fly

Life is good for Robin. He likes to watch his brother and sister fly. Whenever he's hungry, his mother or father brings food. Whenever he's sleepy, he snuggles in a nest that fits as perfectly as a hug. Why should he leave home? And by flying, which seems so scary! But as Mama and Papa tell Robin about the ways of his kind -- about finding the nest site, gathering grass and moss, carrying the mud, and molding the nest -- Robin knows that he has to try.

Jeannine Atkins's simple story about the first few weeks of a robin's life suggests that although growing up is natural, some of us need more encouragement than others. Candace Whitman's torn-paper watercolor collages capture the gentle beauty of spring and all the charm of a robin family.