A bright twitter, a dashing sample of aviational prowess - here they are: The swallows have come back from their winter quarters! Let's watch them build a new nest in the cowshed, see how the female lays eggs from which the young will hatch soon after. We can watch them grow and witness their first attempts at flying. And then, one day, it's goodbye to the old farm, and the beginning of a long journey - across deserts and savannahs, all the way to South Africa. Of course, it's not a goodbye forever - one day they'll fly back to the north to make another summer.

This is another one of those solid well-crafted factbooks that children will rush to open in order to learn all and everything about these lovable migrant birds.

They usually frolic in flocks, scolding vociferously, always eager to investigate their surroundings - sparrows are just like children, and maybe that is why children love these cheeky birds so much! This beautifully illustrated picture book takes us on a guided tour of the life of the sparrows thoughout the year. We watch their "wedding" and their subsequent search for a suitable nesting place, and we'll see the little sparrows hatch, to be reared with unfaltering care and attention. Eventually they'll embark on their first exploratory forays, and soon start looking for food in the city, just like their parents. And when spring comes round again, they'll have to look for a nesting place of their own.

Just like in his book "A year with the swallows", Thomas Müller provides fascinating, easy-to-grasp insights into the lives and habitat of sparrows, complementing his facts with loving drawn pictures of our feathered friends.

 If you can hear a hammering noise in the woods it means that it is not far away. It is the beautiful woodpecker, with its distinctly black, red and white feathers!

In this delicate informative picture book we fly along with this skillful builder during a whole year while learning about the environment where it lives.


Available from May 10th