I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. This is one of the most beautiful books I have ever read and though it deals with a complicated thing like death, it also creates a story of healing through birds.

This book is just sad. It’s meant to help support those grieving the loss of a loved one. I can see it’s necessary, but it was long winded and depressing.

Thanks to NetGalley and Girl Friday Productions for an egalley in exchange for an honest review.

I don't know how any teacher will read this to a class and not want to lay down in the fetal position crying. My eyes were a complete mess with this one. A young child shares a bond with their grandmother as she teaches them about birds. When the grandmother dies, the lessons the child learns helps the grandfather cope with his grief.

The watercolour illustrations were beautiful. I was crying again when I learned this was the author's debut novel and that she passed soon after submitting it to a publisher. It's a special little book. It also includes a guide to help a child cope with grief.

Goodreads review published 24/05/21
Publication Date 04/05/21

~ Thanks to NetGalley and Girl Friday Productions / Bird Upstairs Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review ~

I always feel bad when reviewing books like "The River of Birds" and giving anything less than 5 stars, because they deal with topics like grief and are probably inspired by events in the author's life. But this book sits at a solid 4 stars for me personally. I'll start with the shallow complaint: as amazing as Boardman's illustrations are of birds, and they truly are stunning, his human drawings creeped me out. This largely took away from moments where the illustrations were meant to help us connect one on one with the characters, because I often found myself not wanting to look at them for long. This is something which I have taken seriously ever since I was a kid, so I'm putting that out there for any parents who also remember reading books that would have been fine if it wasn't for the way the characters were drawn.
The more serious issue for me was that there was an emotional disconnect between me and the writing. Most of it felt matter-of-fact and cold, when I can tell that that was not how it was meant to be read. The last page was probably the only part where I felt an actual link to the story's events. But then again, other readers have found no issue with the storytelling, so I would recommend parents give it a look and see if it's something that they too can find healing in first.
If your child has recently experienced a loss after a period of time preparing for it, then I can imagine this being a good option for kids between the ages of 5 and 8.


Summary
Recommended age range: 5-8
Pros: a good introduction to managing grief; fantastic bird illustrations
Cons: narration felt disconnected; human illustrations are somewhat offputting

This is a very sweet and thoughtful book that would be very helpful to read to children experiencing loss of a grandparent.

Any book that deals with the loss of a loved one will be difficult. The River of Birds is a children's illustrated story about a boy losing his grandmother. And about his grandfather loosing the love of his life. While the boy is key character in the story; in reality this is the story of how grief is different for everyone, and that adults cry too.

Absolutely a tear worthy story and so important to help children find a way to express grief, cope with grief, and inevitably move past extreme grief into remembrance.

The use of migrating birds here is clever in that it talks of the seasons changing and how everything is cyclical. Just like death is inevitable; so too is winter. I love the parallels used between winter and death. This is a very Pagan concept that everything dies so it can be reborn and it's beautifully done here. Libby Moore uses spiritual aspects to convey death and each person's remaining essence or spirit or soul; without bringing religion into the mix. It's very clever and well worth anyone reading.

Most important are the notes at the back of the book to help adults help a child who is grieving. This list is just as important as the story itself as it gives suggestions towards how to help a child express their grief, instead of hiding it or restraining from crying.

The absolute perfect book for any child, or adult, that has recently lost someone very close to them.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

The theme and topic are well developed, but visually was expecting a bit more. The illustrations are old-fashioned.

I thought that this book was wonderful, it was a heart-warming read and the ending was lovely.

We recently lost my grandma and I have been explaining to my daughter who is three what has happened.
This book would be perfect for those children slightly older and the illustrations are wonderful.

My daughter goes to see her nanny and grandad and it is my dad that talks to her about nature, and he goes birdwatching and out and about and will often take her in to the garden or out to be a nature explorer.

This is a book that I would really recommended and it gives some hints at the end too regarding supporting a grieving child which I found to be beneficial.

It is 5 stars from me for this one – very highly recommended!

This picture book for school-age readers depicts the relationship between a grandchild and grandparents, especially the grandmother, called Minka. Minka and the narrator share a love for birds. Minka teaches her grandchild all about different kinds of birds, which birds do and don’t migrate, and how to draw birds. Some kinds of migratory birds travel at night, and Minka describes this “river of birds” illuminated by the light of the stars and moon. When Minka dies, the narrator takes comfort in birdwatching and remembering various things Minka has said. The book concludes with a note to adults about supporting a child who is experiencing grief. This book may be helpful to a child who has recently lost a beloved grandparent and is sure to appeal to bird-lovers, but is unlikely to find a much wider audience than that. Although the book isn’t very long, the reading level is best suited for kids in about third grade or even a little older.

Beautiful drawings compliment this meaningful story. The child lives an ordinary life with the grandparents, Grandma is in a wheelchair but is talented in drawing birds and teaching the child about each of them while Grandpa sees to chores. Grandma becomes more ill and dies, but she has taught well. One night the child dreams of a river of birds with Grandma among them, so he tells Grandpa and it seems to make a difference in the grieving process for both of them. Exceptionally well done.
I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from Girl Friday Productions/Bird Upstairs Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

A beautiful book to help talk about the death of a loved one with a young child. This book joins a short list of relatable stories that treat death as a fact of life and that make room for people to have different reactions to loss. The pace of the unfolding story, the carefully detailed illustrations, and the gentleness of the language allow readers to slow down and find themselves in the story.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy for review.

Emotional book showing the love between grandparents and grandchild even after the passing of the grandmother. It’s a good book for children who are going through a loss to see that they are not alone and their feelings are normal. The illustrations were beautiful.

What a beautiful book. I loved the watercolor art. They perfectly matched this wonderful and touching book about a child’s love and grief over their grandmother’s loss. This book is perfect for a child dealing with grief or to help teach children about grief or loss. I was very sad to see that the author passed away herself.

It is a very hard novel but it leaves an incredible message. I consider that it treats a very delicate subject very well. It has the right and precise words for the subject it addresses

Good book for a child who has lost a grandparent, grandmother in particular, but any loved one, really. A young boys' grandmother teaches him about backyard birds before she passes away. The birds help both the boy and his grandfather handle their grief. Lovely tale with beautiful illustrations.

The River of Birds is a lovely illustrated and beautifully written book a bout grief. The River of Birds tells the story about the relationship between a child and their grandparents and what happens when one of them dies. The story is easy for a child to understand the basics of grief and teaches them it's ok to grieve. At the end of the book, it gives tips on how to help a child while they are grieving and the signs to look for that shows a child is grieving. This book would be an asset to a child that's grieving and the adults that are helping the child through the grieving process. This book would also be helpful to those in the mental health field and those that work with children in any capacity. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read this book. (This review is also on GoodReads.)

This is an amazing book with both beautiful illustrations and storyline. The book follows a young girl who lives with her grandparents and her grandmother loves to sit near the window and draw the birds she sees bringing them to life on the paper. This book deals with grief and her grandmother's passing. How her and her grandfather deal with the overwhelming sadness. I highly recommend this book to kids of all ages especially if you have lost someone you love. Thanks to #Netgalley for the early review copy. I just loved it as I am going through the death of my Mother now.

This book would be good to have on hand for a child who is grieving the loss of a loved one. Many people identify with birds as a part of the grieving process, so this might help. Tastefully written and beautiful illustrations.