The BLUEBIRD –

There’s a happy little poem, SPRING for Annie by 20th century American poet Reed Bye…

SPRING… for Annie by Reed Bye

bluebird &
honeymoon over
the house,
sun across the equator
coming higher, the earth
a quarter way round the year

things that live rise
& go after each other
in the spice
on blue wings
from austere
rot & wither

a weight is lifting
a slag of cold air.
The sun comes around the
bend
we see him and start to cheer.

Bye’s poem is inspired by the beauty of Spring as colors and warmth lift the veil of winter’s cold air.

The poem’s first word is bluebird.  It grabs us… and then the lovely images of the bluebird over the house, things that live rise, on blue wings bring the Bluebird into our view.

What we discover in SPRING… for Annie is that we feel the sun.  We start to cheer.  But it’s the bluebird that’s first.  The bluebird is the harbinger of Spring.

But what is the real tweet-tweet on the Bluebird in real-life ?  Here are a few little tidbits to pass along to your kids and grandkids to combine literature and life:

– Bluebirds are considered harbingers of spring.  They actively begin house hunting in February and March, a signal that warmer weather is coming.

– There are 3 species of Bluebirds… the Eastern Bluebird, the Western Bluebird and the Mountain Bluebird, all common to North America.

– The Bluebird is a member of the Thrush family, related to the American Robin.

– Bluebirds like pastures, farmlands, parks, orchards, meadows and open lands.

– Bluebirds perch on small trees, fence posts and utility wires, keeping their eyes out for insects.

– Bluebirds enjoy a diet of grasshoppers, crickets, cutworms, beetles and insect larvae… and are considered a friend to gardeners and farmers for pest control.

– Bluebirds do not generally eat from seed feeders.

– The male Bluebird courts the female by waving his wings and offering her treats.

– While the male guards nest building, the female Bluebird builds her nest in tree cavities, rail fences, stump holes, bird boxes and even in old woodpecker holes.

– Bluebird nests are made of grass, twigs and fragrant pine needles and lined with feathers and fine, soft grasses.

– The male Bluebird delivers food to the female while she incubates their eggs and both male and female feed their nestlings after they hatch.

– Bluebirds are considered symbols of hope and happiness because of their appearance in spring.

Ah.  The Bluebird in real-life.

Reading the poem SPRING… for Annie with your kids and grandkids, with a little knowledge of the Bluebird in real-life, gives you so much to discuss… and your kids so much to think about as they embrace the literature.

The poem gives us a great opportunity to talk with our kids about seasons, and the different birds and creatures that seasons bring.

The poem also gives us a beautiful way to talk about colors, sounds, sights and inspirations that different seasons bring to us. 

Get outside today and feel the sun, the wind… or even the cool of Autumn and remember to revisit SPRING… for Annie on a fine spring day when the earth “two-quarters” its way round the year!  

Join me here each day in August for AUGUST TWEET-TWEETS on 365 Days of Literacy for Kids! A little fun, a little learning and a bit of “tweet-tweet”!