When The Storks Came Home is a kind story of Beanie, a young girl who loves birds. When Beanie learns about a new bird she hasn't seen before (a stork) she goes on a mission to learn where storks come from and why they don't nest in Britain anymore!

This book has beautiful illustrations which drew me in right away. I would love to read future books by this author! This book was informative and enjoyable It's always wonderful to find a children's book that helps kids understand more about the creatures in the world and their habitats!

Any bird loving child would enjoy this book!

Happy reading my friends!

My feelings about this picture book are decidedly mixed. The story itself is a good one--the efforts of one young girl (with the help of adults) to re-establish wild storks in Britain. The telling is a little clumsy but it works well enough and the illustrations have enough detail and charm. But an afterword explains that the story is in fact a fabrication. No such girl ever existed. Storks were re-established, but not in the way that the book depicts. It was done by professional adults. The idea of building a nest on a roof didn't happen in Britain but was taken from a man in Croatia. I found this very disappointing and I imagine kids will feel that too. I much would have preferred it if the book simply told the actual story, perhaps using a fictional child as a secondary character or guide (perhaps the child of one of the adults). That bit of fiction would have been more acceptable. The creators of this book have a good story to tell but I think they bent the truth too far to make a book that they thought would be accessible to kids.

Beanie is a young birdwatcher, but she doesn't recognize the bird on a baby shower card. Storks have been gone from England for ages. But Beanie is determined to bring them back. With the help of Andy, a keeper at the nature preserve, and some international shipping, Beanie brings back birds to her hometown.

The color pencil illustrations are a bird watcher's delight. Of course, most are of the storks, but there's appearances from quite a few other local species. Kingfishers, jackdaws, and long-tailed tits are specifically named. And the penultimate image, of several storks nesting on rooftops, is so striking! It feels almost a fantasy, but the book follows up this ending with a section on the real-life reintroduction efforts in Knepp, England, with many dynamic photos of the birds.

This is definitely a pick for birders OR for someone who is going to convert, or has already converted, their backyard into a mini nature preserve. It's a wonderful way to teach children about conservation, natural habitats, and how we can make efforts to help animals, instead of merely exploiting them.

Advanced reader copy provided by the publisher.

I really enjoyed this book! Beanie’s love for birds becoming more as she rallies her community to support the storks is beautiful. What a great message to children (& adults) to turn a love into a passion. Definitely reading this book during our bird lessons during homeschool this year!

Also shoutout to Ivy Kids for using recycled paper to print! Love a planet-friendly read that advocates for our planet too.

Thanks so much to NetGalley & Quarto Publishing Group – Ivy Kids for this preview!!

A delightful picture book about Beanie and the reintroduction of storks to her local area. The gorgeous illustrations and the inclusion of the real-life inspiration for this story are sure to appeal to a wide audience.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions my own.

This beautiful picture book tells the story of the return of native birds to their home because of the courageous activism and care of local residents. Based on true events, we follow a young child who learns about storks after seeing a card with one on them and hearing that they used to live in their town. The child is already someone who frequents a nature reserve and so dives in with questions about why storks no longer live there. When the opportunity arises to start a new colony of storks in the nature preserve, they dive into helping along with the rest of their community. The beautiful art and stunning use of color really helps this story soar,

While not all such rewilding efforts are met with such cooperation (see the continual tensions between scientists returning wolves to Alaska to a strong lobbyist contingent of fear-mongering farmers and hunters), this makes for an excellent introduction to an increasingly important topic.

Beautiful book! Such an amazing plus that each book is made of recycled materials- which really dug deep into my eco friendly animal loving homeschoolers! The illustrations were beautiful. The facts were age appropriate for my readers- 2nd and 4th grade. Loved it!


Thank you NetGalley for allowing me an arc in exchange for my honest review!

Such a wonderful little book!

A beautiful story inspired by the conservation success of White Stork reintroduction to the UK on the Knepp Estate.

Wonderfully informative, alongside beautiful illustrations. A great introduction to conservation and the importance of rewilding our land.

A message of hope amongst the devastating times we are living in during the climate crisis.

I will be sharing this book with everyone I know who has little ones.

This is a lovely and inspiring book about the difference that a child can make, the importance of birds and ways in which a species can be reintroduced to an environment. Oh, and the illustrations are just the most lovely and beautiful accompaniment to this story about Beanie.

Beanie is a little girl who loves birds. She is an observer and a person who takes action. Young children will see what happens when she thinks about the white storks and their futures.

This is a fictionalized account of events that happened in Britain. There is an end note about this.

This book will encourage children to engage with the natural world. It will also help them to see that kids can make a difference.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group-Ivy Kids for this title. All opinions are my own.

Beanie is introduced to White Storks via a congratulatory card that her mother & newborn brother receive. As she is an enthusiast of all birds, Beanie is both intrigued & curious; what is this bird & where does it live? Her mother encourages her to visit their friend, Andy, who holds all the knowledge on White Storks & their unfortunate disappearance in Britain. With all the love in her heart, Beanie sets about welcoming White Storks back into Britain; hoping that all the fundraising & dedication will be enough to encourage them to return.
 
This is the second book on White Storks that I’ve read this year & I had appreciated the first story so much that I was encouraged to request this one. I can confidently say that I adored this story just as much as the first. There is something very wholesome, warm, & hopeful about this book that sets it apart. Beanie is a character that is out to do good in the world. Alongside the information that is given to the reader about the “White Stork Project” in the United Kingdom, I found there to be so many aspects of this book to appreciate.

The plot of this particular story might be one that is best appreciated in groups given the complexities of the migratory patterns & the absence of the birds themselves (i.e. their reasoning for not returning to Britain), I think that having young readers initially exposed to the subject matter with a guardian will see it fully appreciated. Of course, any reader might appreciate the goodness that Beanie exhibits & the support that she is gifted by her family & friends—the townspeople too! These are wonderfully encouraging things to see take place in a story, especially one directed towards younger readers.
 
I should wager to say that, though any reader might fully appreciate the text, the accompanying illustrations by Alexandra Finkeldey will set the mind alight. I found each page to hold a woodwind of fabulous, earth-toned, images that granted the story a vivacity that only the imagination of a special kind of person might bring to life.
 
There is so much to appreciate about this little story & I hope that it encourages all those who come upon it to set out the intention to do good to others, animals & humans alike. There is so much to be gained in being like Beanie—a wonderfully magical young person, upholding her intentions towards those she loves & admires.

Thank you to NetGalley, Quarto Publishing Group – Ivy Kids, & Isabella Tree for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This is an adorable story of curiosity and how even the youngest of people can be a catalyst for change. The beautiful illustrations of Beanie, a young girl who learns about her village’s history of having white storks, discovering why there are no more storks in her village help capture the excitement of bringing the white storks home.

I had no idea that storks were anything but the mythological creatures that brought babies. I mean, in my head I knew they must be real, but I had never seen one of heard of them in the wild. Much like Beanie, my curiosity about these creatures has grown, and thanks to this book and the details at the end, my children and I have actionable items we can do to help restore the white stork population!

This was a lovely book and one I’m very excited to add to our home library!

This lovely book is the tale of Beanie the 8 year old who helped reintroduce white Storks to the UK and is inspired by real life events.

The illustrations were marvelous using a calming autumnal palette which suited the books nature theme.

I feel that the main character will appeal to children who are both animal lovers and have an interest in ecology.

It also includes information about Storks and the project which inspired the book.

It was an absolute joy to read.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a digital ARC to provide an honest review.

Cute, beautifully illustrated picture book based on the real story of people in Britain trying to lure storks back to the island, after they have not lived there for over 500 years.

Using a child as the main character, the story follows the efforts of local scientists, trying to have domesticated, or injured storks lure wild storks to build homes in a small village. They even help one stork build a nest, to lure the wild storks in.

Great illustrations, fun story, because there are now storks living in Great Britain again.

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

WHEN THE STORKS CAME HOME written by ISABELLA TREE and illustrated by Canadian artist ALEXANDRA FINKELDEY is a fabulous children's book that combines great storytelling with lessons about the environment and about the impact of humans on animal/bird habitats.

Aimed at children ages 4 to 8, this book will also interest older children. Parents will also find the story interesting and with photos and details included at the back of the book, are sure to learn new information about the stork project and about the concept of "rewilding."

When I saw the illustration of the stork with its neck bent backwards I was surprised. Before reading this book I had no idea how storks mated and how they contort their necks. I found that information fascinating.

For all of the above reasons I am rating WHEN THE STORKS CAME HOME as 5 out of 5 Stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

*** Thank you to #NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book.

I loved this! It caught my eye on Netgalley as I know the real story of Knepp’s Stork Project. This is a lovely book for kids (and adults…) inspired by the true story, beautifully illustrated & printed on recycled post-consumer paper. Brilliant!

This is the story about a young girl named Beanie who loves animals especially birds. When she has a new baby brother, they receive lots of flowers and cards. On one card, she sees white storks. She becomes fascinated with them and asks her friend Andy about them. He tells that they have unfortunately disappeared from Britain and their population is decreasing. Beanie becomes passionate in saving these storks and she, along with her town, does everything they could to save them.

The fact that this is inspired from real events makes this book even better. The artwork is STUNNING! And I think this book is a must read for young children because they need to learn about wildlife and conservation from a very young age so that they'll be able to contribute in regards to conservation of nature when they grow up.

Absolutely loved this book. I'd highly recommend this one.