The ROBIN –

There is a delightful children’s book, The Apple Pie Tree, written by Zoe Hall and Illustrated by Shari Halpern.

The story is about, yes… an apple tree. But the story is also about Robins, apple pie and the marvelous change of seasons.

The story begins in winter with a brown, bare apple tree… but turn the page and you’re into spring, with green leaves and robins dancing in the apple tree.

Next comes a robin’s nest, then eggs and flower buds, then baby robins and delightful apple blossoms.

The apple blossoms turn to small green apples and the little robins who have left the nest come back to visit each day.    

Autumn arrives with bushels of apples and apple pie baking… and even a recipe for Apple Pie!

And the whole of the magical seasonal spin begins anew.

What we discover is the marvel of nature.  Seasons.  Apple Trees.  Robins.

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

– Robins feel at home in towns, cities and even mountains, woodlands and forests.

– Robins are songbirds, considered the largest of North American thrushes… plump, soft-feathered birds.

– Robins are grayish-brown with orange-ish/reddish underparts and darker heads.  Their lower bellies and undertails are white.

– Male Robins have darker heads.

– During the autumn and winter, migratory Robins form large flocks in trees where they roost and eat.

– Robins feed on both wild and cultivated fruits and berries, insects such as grubs and grasshoppers, and earthworms.  You’ll find Robins eating more earthworms during the morning and fruit later in the day.

– Robins breed in spring, from April – July.

– Male Robins are great rivals during breeding season.

– The female Robin builds her cup-shaped nest in trees or shrubs and the male will help by collecting long grass, twigs, feathers and the like.  The female also collects mud and smears it into the nest with her chest before adding soft grass for protection of her eggs.

– The Robin is one of the first species to lay eggs in spring and will often have 2 or 3 broods in one season.

– Robins are strong, fast fliers.

Ah.  The Robin in real-life.

Reading the story of The Apple Pie Tree with your kids and grandkids, with a little knowledge of the Robin in real-life, gives you so much to discuss… and your kids so much to think about as they embrace the literature.

The book The Apple Pie Tree gives us a great opportunity to talk with our kids about seasons, traditions and the great circle of life… one that certainly includes Robins returning each year.

Maybe you can even bust out the baking dishes for a delectable home-made Apple Pie after reading the story!

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”!