This funny little and short book takes us on an adventure with a young boy and his elderly neighbor that lives across the street from him.

The young boy is bored at home and gets in the way of the man trying to bird watch and locate a snowy owl.

I love the illustrations, and the language used is perfect for children who are starting to read or advanced readers alike.

The back of the book includes some information on bird watching, how to keep a birding journal and where snowy owls live!

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

The Birders is a sweet comic book read for children with humour and an unlikely friendship between an elderly man who's an avid bird watcher and a boy who's bored and fed up of staying at home. They have some really fun times together and this book did make me giggle in places. I enjoyed how the duo teach and help each other in this book and how they both learn something new and benefit each other no matter the huge age gap between them.
The back of the book contains some bird watching tips for anyone interested in trying this themselves. The illustrations are cute but the story itself is the best part of this book.

This book was part graphic novel, part picture book. It involves an older gentleman and a young man who literally running into each other trying to see a bird. They go on a grand little adventure to see a snowy owl, end up stuck in a tree, and find mutual respect and admiration for each other. This book was entirely unique. It’s about a subject not normally found in picture books. But the relationship between the young and the old is one of pure love that will last for the ages.

The Birders is a charmingly illustrated graphic novel about an elderly birder who finds a new friend in the little boy who lives across the street. In a humorous tale, they find they are both in need of a little excitement. Mr. Flynn teaches Ollie about birding and maintaining a birding journal. It's a sweet story about an unlikely friendship.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I love a book about birdwatching, and this one was excellent. This book is about a man on the lookout for a snowy owl and a boy across the street. Any unlikely friendship begins, and a new bird watcher is born.

A senior citizen birder leaves his house in an attempt to see a snowy owl. On the way he literally runs into a young neighbor. The young neighbor seems to be in the way of the birding, but eventually they both learn something about friendship & birding.

A cute book. Not a common topic, so it could help fill a void. If your area has large parks or wooded areas in which birding is popular this could be a great book for your library. Also if you want to highlight positive relationships between kids & older adults.

Reminiscent of Disney's "Up". It's a standard odd couple relationship: the grumpy and particular older man alongside the over-eager hyperactive child. The child teaches the man to find joy and wonder in the w world. The man teaches the child to focus and follow through. It's not treading new ground but the illustrations and dialogue are charming.

An old man on the search for a snowy owl and a little boy with too much energy crash into an epic adventure that takes them to the trees and inspires a new found love of birding. This book had me laughing out loud and left my heart 3 sizes bigger.

Adorable! This is a sweet book of young coming together with the elderly. The child is able to learn something and so is the old man. It is quick, but perfect for littles AND it has lessons on being kind and accepting. It was so sweet!

The birders is a heart warming story of friendship in unexpected places. I loved the relationship between Mr. Flynn and Ollie.
This will be a favourite for kids and birders alike I laughed out loud in parts.
I loved the graphic novel picture book style this is something I would love to see more of.

I loved this fun and sweet story! Ollie is like so many kids, bored inside and bursting at the seams to go outside & find a fun way to burn off energy. When he does, he encounters his elderly neighbor who is out trying to spot a rare snowy owl. Ollie decided to tag along and the two have an adventure.

The graphics were bright and engaging. I could hear my 8 year old in Ollie which makes me feel confident that she would enjoy it as much as me.

She is a budding birder and I think this story is a great entry point for kids, as well as encouragement for parents/grandparents to engage their kiddos in activities like birding.

Thank you to the Sasquatch Books and NetGalley for the advanced electronic review copy of this adorable book. This is a story about an unusual friendship between a little boy who’s bored and his elderly neighbor who is a bird watcher. During the course of the story, the pair tried to see and sketch a snowy owl. By the end, the older gentleman agreed to teach the little boy everything he knows about birdwatching and gave him a journal to capture the birds that he sees. I really liked the illustrations and the great characters. There is also additional information about snowy owls at the end of the book for those who are interested.

"The Birders" is a heartwarming intergenerational story. It is written in graphic novel style and the illustrations are wonderful. An older retired man named Mr. Flynn lives across the street from a rambunctious bored little boy named Ollie and life gets interesting and somewhat chaotic when their paths intersect.

Mr. Flynn, once an avid birdwatcher, dons his binoculars because he has spotted a snowy owl. He hurriedly scurries off to observe and document this fabulous bird.

Ollie, now feeling free, bursts from his house at the same time and blocks Mr. Flynn from achieving his goal. Fortunately the missed opportunity results in both very different humans becoming friends. The older gentleman takes the little guy under his wing and teaches him the awesome gift of bird watching and how to create a journal about each bird that he observes.

This book is full of humour and the illustrations are colourful, expressive and very kid-friendly. "The Birders" is a delightful introduction to graphic novels and it will inspire an interest into bird watching and journaling. I love the book and highly recommend it.

My hunch is that us oldsters can appreciate this book just as much as the younger set. While the artwork is relatively simple and the story is simple, the relationship between Mr. Flynn, the long-time bird watcher, and the exuberant Ollie McPhee sends a clear message. No matter what our age, we have something to learn from others of all ages. In this case, Mr. Flynn slowly and rather reluctantly at first shows Ollie how to be a true bird watcher and record his sightings. In the process, we all get a feel for how simple and fulfilling bird watching can be. Both start out rather bored, Mr. Flynn wondering if his adventuring days are over, while Ollie is, well, a kid. He's bored and lives for the moment he can dash outside. One day he dashes into Mr. Flynn, ouch, and their lives change forever. A touching story with more than a touch of humor. I've got to ask, have you ever seen a white owl? You'll get a feel for how elusive they are in "The Birders".I only wish it'd been a tiny bit longer as the ending seemed somewhat abrupt but maybe that was my own wanting to know what happened next.

I loved the premise of this story so much, my young family has gotten very into birding over the pandemic. I hope this finds its audience!

Elderly Mr. Flynr sets out one day hoping to spot a snowy owl. His plans are thwarted by his antsy young neighbor Ollie. But before the end of the day, Mr. Flynr will have achieved his goal (well, sort of), Ollie will have a new hobby, and both will have discovered a new friend.

The author combines both a picture book and graphic novel format to tell his sweet and involving story.

At the end of the book, the reader will learn about snowy owls, AND how to keep your own birding journal.

Binoculars not required.

The Birders shares an excellent Dennis the Menace-type tale between two neighbors. Each has something to teach and share with the other, though they don't realize it. The illustrations are cute and help bring this developing friendship to life. While the book is cute and story wonderful, it is not a book I would want to read repeatedly.

Thank you NetGalley and Sasquatch Books for the opportunity to read an advance reading copy.

I like this story not only because it's cute and humorous, but because it's also educational. The older Mr. Flynn and the across-the-street neighbor lad, Ollie, have a common interest in birding and they learn lessons from each other as they go outside to try and observe some birds in their natural habitat.

The author-illustrator, Rob Albanese has some amusingly fun, cartoon-like illustrations to accompany his storyline. All in all, good vibes radiate from this wonderful little children's book. In my opinion, grandfathers, especially, will love to read this story to their grandchilden, which may even inspire both to embark on a similar common interest to top it all off.

~Eunice C., Reviewer/Blogger~
January 2022

Disclaimer: This is my honest opinion based on the review copy sent by NetGalley and the publisher.

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A funny little book about an old man and a young boy who lives across the street from him. The man is an avid birdwatcher and is trying to locate an elusive snowy owl. But the little fellow, who is bored of staying at home, manages to get in his way and turns his attempts topsy-turvy.

The book has many hilarious situations. The little boy is really funny and smart at the same time. The bond between the old man and him develops as the story progresses and they realise that they both can help each other and learn from each other. So I liked the ending much more than the beginning of the book. The story seeks to create an interest in bird-watching. There’s a page on bird-watching tips and snowy owls at the end of the book.

The illustrations are quite cute. Nothing extraordinary though.

The language is quite simple and will work fine for beginner readers.

Somehow, it feel like the book could have been much more but it falls a little short of possibilities. So it’s just a quick, fun read but not really a memorable one for me.

3.25 stars.

My thanks to Sasquatch Books, Little Bigfoot, and NetGalley for the ARC of “The Birders”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

This is such a cute book. An old man spots a snowy owl, and wants to add it to his bird count, but a young boy gets in the way, and so he loses sight of it.

But the boy offers to help, and so they go in pursuit of the owl.

And ultimately, it gets the boy as interested in bird watching as the old man, who even gets him a notebook to keep track of the birds he has seen and observed.

A very good introduction to the fun of bird watching, and ornithology.

<em>Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.</em>