StoryWalk®
Decatur Public Library & Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge
have partnered to bring you a beautiful story to read as you walk. Enjoy the StoryWalk®, displayed page by page on the Atkeson Cypress Trail at the Refuge, or you can borrow the library’s copy of the book to read at home. Click here to check availability for How to Find a Bird by Jennifer Ward & Diana Sudyka.
WHEN
Tuesday, January 5th – Friday, January 29th
Open 7 days a week
9:00am – 5:00pm
*Visitor Center entrance gate locks at 5:00pm .*
Please CLICK HERE to confirm hours of operation.
***The Visitor Center and Observation Buildings are currently closed to protect visitors during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Visitor Center grounds, outdoor photo blinds, and portable toilets remain open during business hours***
WHERE
Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge Visitors Center
3121 Visitor Center Road
Decatur, AL 35603
The StoryWalk® is on the Atkeson Cypress trail behind the Visitors Center . The story begins after the second vee in the trail. Stay on the main trail at each fork and you will see the first story board.
ACTIVITY PACKET
CLICK HERE to download a word search and bird-finding activity you can do while you take the StoryWalk®!
CLICK HERE for the extra hidden words and answers.
About the Book
How to Find a Bird
Written by Jennifer Ward & Illustrated by Diana Sudyka
A joyful and informative guide to birdwatching for budding young birders from an award-winning author-illustrator duo.
How do you find a bird? There are so many ways! Begin by watching. And listening. And staying quiet, so quiet you can hear your own heartbeat. Soon you’ll see that there are birds everywhere—up in the sky, down on the ground, sometimes even right in front of you just waiting to be discovered!
Young bird lovers will adore this lushly illustrated introduction to how to spot and observe our feathered friends. It features more than fifty different species, from the giant whooping crane to the tiny ruby-throated hummingbird, and so many in between, and a detailed author’s note provides even more information about birding for curious readers. This celebration of the wondrous variety, colors, and sounds of the avian world is sure to have children grabbing their binoculars and heading outside to explore.
About the Author/Illustrator
Jennifer Ward has written numerous award-winning picture books, including Mama Built a Little Nest and Mama Dug a Little Den, both illustrated by Steve Jenkins, and How to Find a Bird, illustrated by Diana Sudyka. A former elementary educator, Jennifer Ward is an experienced public speaker who travels the country, speaking in schools and at international and national writer and literacy conferences. She lives with her family in Edwardsville, Illinois. Visit her at JenniferWardBooks.com.
Diana Sudyka is a Chicago-based illustrator. Early on, she created screen-printed gig posters for musicians but currently her illustration work focuses on young adult, middle grade, and children’s books. She has illustrated several volumes of the award-winning book series The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart and Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley, as well as the picture books Sometimes Rain by Meg Fleming, What Miss Mitchell Saw by Hayley Barrett, and How to Find a Bird by Jennifer Ward. Visit her at DianaSudyka.com.
About StoryWalk®
The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT and developed in collaboration the Kellogg Hubbard Library. StoryWalk® is a registered service mark owned by Ms. Ferguson.