Birds Sing Their Words" by Mélina Mangal is a book designed to introduce young children to the sounds of birds and the beauty of nature. Scheduled for release on April 22, 2025, this book is part of the "Outside Our Window Board Books" series, which encourages children—especially those in urban neighborhoods—to explore, protect, and delight in nature. As a librarian that teachers pre k, I would definitely use this book in the library. It would be a great book to connect kids to nature and sound.

Very cute little book about birds and the different songs they sing and some of the ways we interact either them. I would have enjoyed seeing a few more birds added to this book, however it was still a fun overview. Thanks to Netgalley for letting me read this in exchange for a review.

I absolutely loved this book! It’s an easy read for toddlers and preschoolers, and I believe it would make a fantastic read-aloud in any classroom. The illustrations are delightful—simple yet charming, without being overwhelming. I can easily see this book being chosen by many teachers for bird lessons or even to incorporate more nature themes into their classrooms. It’s a great fit for classrooms that may not yet have a focus on nature learning, but it would also be a wonderful addition to nature-based schools.

A cute short book with pretty illustrations showing that if we pay attention there are birds and nature all around us, even in an urban environment. It teaches little ones about why birds sing and call, and has some resources at the end for caretakers on where to learn more and how to start birdwatching.

Netgalley ARC - 3.5 stars! I think this is generally nice and very simple. Some of the art is pretty but some (like the pair of cardinals) skeeves me out.

"Birds Sing Their Words" by Mélina Mangal is a delightful board book designed to introduce young children to the sounds of birds and the beauty of nature. Scheduled for release on April 22, 2025, this book is part of the "Outside Our Window Board Books" series, which encourages children—especially those in urban neighborhoods—to explore, protect, and delight in nature.

In this story, two young children, guided by an adult, embark on a springtime walk through their city neighborhood. As they observe various birds, they listen to their unique calls and songs, such as "fee-bee" and "per-chick-a-ree." The narrative highlights how these diverse bird songs mirror the varied voices of humans, fostering an appreciation for both nature and personal expression.

The book features illustrations by Stella Lim, a Korean artist based in Seoul. Lim's artwork draws inspiration from her childhood in rural South Korea, bringing a fresh and engaging visual experience to the story.

"Birds Sing Their Words" is recommended for children aged 0-4 years. It not only introduces young readers to the sounds of birds but also encourages them to connect with nature, regardless of their living environment. The book includes activity ideas to engage children in learning about birds in their own neighborhoods, making it an interactive and educational addition to any child's library.

Overall, Mélina Mangal's "Birds Sing Their Words" offers a charming and educational experience for young readers, fostering a love for nature and self-expression through the universal language of birdsong. But I think there could be more to just what has been given and young readers should have also introduced with the way they can cherish the liberty of birds and not by keeping them inside the cages.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. It is an excellent book for small learners about birds and the songs they sing.

As a creature of the asphalt, born in New York City, I understand the importance of nature for city kids like I was. This picture book tells children about different bird songs and encourages them to go outside to a green space and hear the little critters for themselves. A great idea.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley, Teacher Created Materials and Free Spirit Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

This was so cute! I loved the illustrations, and the text was a good length for the target audience. The font choice stood out a little, but that is the only complaint I have about the book. Overall, it was very cute, and I loved all the extension suggestions at the end to help parents further their children's experience of the topic!

Thank you to netgally for allowing me a copy of this book
Super short easy to read story.
Nice fun educational way for my son to learn new things

Cute illustrations and simple text will make this an engaging read aloud for babies and young toddlers. The bird illustrations and sounds will be great for caregivers to encourage children to make connections to their every day (seeing birds outside the window, on walks in the park, etc.). The extra information for caregivers at the end of the book is also a nice addition.

This was a cute book that highlighted the singing of birds. It was very short, and although I think it could benefit from having a few more pages my children still found it to be enjoyable. The illustrations were cute and I appreciated the extra information in the back of the book.

Birds Sing Their Words is a fantastic book for toddlers and young children, especially those who love sound effect books and nature. I read this with my toddler, and she was captivated by the beautiful bird illustrations and the playful sounds they use to communicate. Living in the South, we’re surrounded by trees and have a variety of birds visiting our yard daily, but this book offers a wonderful way for all children—especially those in cities—to explore and connect with nature. A delightful and engaging read!

This was very cute and the illustrations are incredible - beautiful and detailed. I liked where the story was going but I honestly felt that it was too short! It could be a little bit longer and maybe include more use cases for when humans sing.

I don’t have kids. I simply wanted to read this book because I thought the cover was cute and I love watching birds in nature. That being said, this is a wonderful book! The illustrations were beautiful and the book taught basic concepts of birds having unique voices and speaking in a way that will be very easy for children to grasp. Even though I don’t have little ones myself I think this makes a good gift for a curious young one.

This is such a sweet story to get littles engaged with the natural world. It follows two little siblings and their mom and they walk along and discover all of the different voices of birds. It’s simple, yet informative. Lovely illustrations !

As a Nature Study teacher, I can wait to read this to my 4 year olds and my 3rd graders.

Thank you to NetGalley and FreeSpirit Publishing for the ARC ! All opinions are my own.

Beautiful illustrations and plenty of different-sounding tweets make this a fun and informative book on birds. Common yet beautiful species are depicted throughout the book with onomatopoeia matching each bird accurately. Young bird enthusiasts and casual readers alike will find joy in this book, and will discover how easy it is to immerse oneself in nature, no matter where they live. I would definitely use this book for my readaloud programs as the illustrations and sound effects invite participation.

This is a short, sweet slice-of-life, about two children and their caregiver taking a walk and listening to the birds sing. The birds make different calls, which are phonetically illustrated, and compared to human voices and how our voices/words are different too. This would be a good book to have in a school library during a science unit, and could be paired with an audio clip of bird chirps to hear how different birds sound. Recommended for preschool; the characters are diverse, and showcase BIPOC characters.

Thank you Free Spirit Publishing and NetGalley for the digital ARC.

Perfect for very young children to be introduced to birds and nature. I loved the simplicity of the story. Great illustrations. The note to caregivers at the end is very helpful by giving more information.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I found this book to be solid in terms of encouraging an interest regarding the nature that surrounds us even if someone doesn't live in a rural area. It's important, especially these days, that we protect nature as much as possible and this is a good way to get children to engage with it. The art is really beautiful and the word play is a lot of fun. It's definitely a book I'd give or recommend to anyone with children. I will say that I do wish there were more words on some of the pages where there weren't any to teach more about birds in an urban area and how to like protect them(ie not disturbing their nests) or info in the back part on who to call(ie if you have to move a nest), but I also recognize that for little readers there can be too many words as well and that can be overwhelming. Otherwise, a great book to consider picking up for your little ones or to gift to friends/family with little ones.