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Bird Picture Books for Elementary Teachers in 2024

You can discuss and explore birds any time of the year with your students. This post shares bird picture books that you can use for this purpose. All of the picture books on this list lend themselves to this topic really well. Take a peek below to learn more about these bird picture books!

4 Bird Picture Books

Below is a list of some of our favorite bird picture books to share with elementary students. Check them out!

printable picture book comprehension activities

1. Nerdy Birdy by Aaron Reynold

This book tells the story of Nerdy Birdy, who has small wings and big glasses. Nerdy Birdy enjoys reading, video games, and reading about video games. He admires the other birds like eagles, cardinals and robins but they are not kind to him. Nerdy Birdy feels lonely. One day, another bird approaches Nerdy Birdy and says he should hang out with them. Nerdy Birdy is introduced to a whole group of birds that share similar interests to him and they become friends. When Vulture moves to town and is teased by the eagles, cardinals and robins, Nerdy Birdy tries to include him in the group. Nerdy Birdy is surprised when the other nerdy birds do not want to be friends with Vulture. Nerdy Birdy is able to empathize with Vulture and the two become good friends despite their differences. 

Students will love this sweet story about Nerdy Birdy’s journey to friendship. Check out these Nerdy Birdy teaching resources and activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging read aloud lessons!

Nerdy Birdy writing paper
Nerdy Birdy book and activity

2. Owl Babies by Martin Waddell

One night, three baby owls: Percy, Sarah, and Bill wake up to find their mother is not there. Feeling nervous at first, the baby owls decide their mother must be out hunting. However, the longer they wait the more scared they feel. 

The three owl babies wait outside their home on a branch looking for their mother. It is dark in the woods and the owls sit together trying to be brave. Finally, Owl Mother swoops down and comes home to her babies. They are relieved to have her home. 

Students will love this sweet story about the three baby owls. Check out these Owl Babies teaching resources and activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging read aloud lessons!

Owl Babies book cover
Owl Babies book and activity

3. Bird Hugs by Ged Adamson

Bernard the bird was different than his friends that were birds. He had very long wings. When all of his friends started learning to fly, Bernard had a hard time. He couldn’t seem to figure it out like the other birds. Soon, all of his friends had left in search of new places and Bernard still could not fly. 

Not ready to give up, Bernard tried to solve his problem. He tried changing his wings, making them smaller, and even asked another animal for help. Unfortunately, nothing worked and Bernard felt useless. He was so upset he went off into a lonely tree for a long time. Then one day Bernard heard someone else crying. He left his tree to find a very upset orangutan. Bernard walked over and gave the orangutan a hug. Soon enough, the orangutan felt better and Bernard was hopeful. The next morning, there was a line of animals at the bottom of Bernard’s tree. They all wanted hugs from him! The animals started sharing their problems with Bernard and he listened to them and gave hugs. It made Bernard feel good to help the animals and he made many new friends. 

Bernard learned that although he could not fly, he still had a purpose. By helping others he could make friends, and when he had friends, he could do anything. Check out these Bird Hugs teaching resources and activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging read aloud lessons!

Bird Hugs book cover
Bird Hugs worksheets

4. Mel Fell by Corey R. Tabor

One morning, Mel the baby bird woke up. Today was the day she wanted to learn to fly. Her siblings, also living in the nest, looked down from their branch. It was quite a drop! Although she was scared, Mel was not going to let that stop her.

As she dropped, she tried to spread her wings but she could not fly. She kept falling- passing the squirrels, the spiders, and the snails. She landed in the water, where suddenly, she flapped her wings. She jumped out of the water, with a fish in her mouth, flying! Reuniting with her family, they celebrated her resiliency and success.

Check out these Mel Fell teaching resources and activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging read aloud lessons!

Mel Fell book cover
Mel Fell book and activities

Grab the Free Reading Resources!

In closing, we hope you found this list of bird picture books helpful! They are part of our Starts With a Story collection. If you want to get more book ideas to read aloud to your elementary students, then grab this reading freebie. It includes read aloud books lists, reading logs, and reading challenges for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade classroom teachers. It will have you covered for the entire school year, as well as the summer months! Grab this free elementary reading packet now!

printable monthly reading logs

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The Recess Queen book cover
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