Heronry
by Barbara Herkert; illus. by Gordy Wright
40 pages; ages 4-8
Tilbury House Publishers, 2026
themes: birds, animal families, conservation
Spring dawns at the heronry.
The first bird arrives.
He lights with large, graceful wings, long stilt-like legs.
Page by page Barbara Herkert introduces us to a heron family, from the first sticks of nest-building through raising chicks to fledglings leaving the nest. The combination of lyrical prose and luscious art make this a wonderful nature narrative for reading to children. Aside from the hungry eagle, the story feels peaceful and nurturing.
What I like about this book: I like the layered text. One side of each spread features lyrical text in larger print. A text box on the other side contains additional supportive information – perfect for an older kid to read, or from which a parent could choose a fun fact of the day to highlight during a read-aloud. The life-cycle of a heron provides a nice arc for the book, and Gordy Wright’s illustrations provide details that will have kids lingering over the page. Plus there is back matter for curious naturalists of any age, and end pages that will have you dreaming of flight- or at least heron-watching.
Beyond the Books:
Learn more about Great Blue Herons. Here’s a video from Cornell Lab of Ornithology that shows herons fishing, and here’s their heron page at All About Birds.
Watch a baby heron hatch! Video courtesy of Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
How do you compare to a Great Blue Heron? Herons range from 38-54 inches. How tall are you? Their wingspan stretches from 66-79 inches. How wide is your “wingspan” when you stretch both arms out to the side?
Do you eat like a heron? Great Blue Herons eat mostly fish! But they also eat frogs, crabs, snakes, grasshoppers and other insects. What’s on your dinner plate?
Today we’re joining Perfect Picture Book Friday. It’s a wonderful gathering where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review copies provided by the publishers.
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