The Winter Bird

Forest animals help an injured nightingale survive the winter in a comforting story of friendship and resilience, lyrically told and gorgeously illustrated.

As the days grow shorter and the air becomes colder, the spring birds fly south for winter—all except for a nightingale with a broken wing. Unable to fly, the nightingale worries about how to prepare for weather it’s never had to experience before. Luckily, the forest animals who are used to frosty conditions help the nightingale navigate the cold as its wing heals. Though the unfamiliar season proves challenging, and even a little scary at times, the nightingale discovers there’s beauty to be found in even the harshest weather—and with that comes newfound gratitude for the return of spring. Kate Banks weaves a story of perseverance and kindness, brought beautifully to life by Suzie Mason’s stunning artwork.

“Lyrical. . . [Mason] uses color to masterful effect to reflect the weather, changing seasons, and mood, the spreads sometimes in washed-out grays, other times tinged yellow by the setting sun or the bright blues and white of a sunny day after a snowstorm. --Kirkus Reviews”

Lyrical. . . [Mason] uses color to masterful effect to reflect the weather, changing seasons, and mood, the spreads sometimes in washed-out grays, other times tinged yellow by the setting sun or the bright blues and white of a sunny day after a snowstorm.
—Kirkus Reviews

Banks’ prose is filled with figurative language. . . In full-bleed spreads, illustrator Suzie Mason brings winter to the page. Her color palette grows dark as the season sets in. . . . The Winter Bird is an earnest anthropomorphized tale. Its creatures support and encourage one another, forming a kind and tightknit community that transforms the nightingale.
—BookPage

Kate Banks (1960-2024) was the award-winning author of more than forty books for children and young adults, including Lion Lullaby, illustrated by Lauren Tobia, Noah Builds an Ark, illustrated by John Rocco, and the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award winner And If the Moon Could Talk, illustrated by Georg Hallensleben.

Suzie Mason enjoys drawing lovely things—from animals to fairies to multicolored pumpkins—and using bright colors to create happy artwork. She is the New York Times best-selling illustrator of I’ve Loved You Since Forever by Hoda Kotb. Suzie Mason lives in England with her husband, son, and cat.

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