Sarah is a young girl coping with a recent move to a new city. She misses her old school, her relatives, and her very best friend, who shares her love of bird-watching. Sarah finds it comforting when familiar birds flock to the feeder outside her window. But soon she discovers a new favourite bird, the redpoll, and even phones her friend, miles away, to describe its distinctive appearance and beautiful song. When the redpolls disappear one day in the spring, only to reappear at her friend’s feeder in her old hometown, both girls suddenly feel more connected and less separated by distance.

Inspired by a similar experience in her own life, Toronto-area author/illustrator Lisa Smith has created a hopeful and positive contemporary story about the bonds of friendship that will resonate with children. The book’s design is conventional, with a pleasing visual mix of single- and double-page spreads. Soft watercolour illustrations add emotional substance and detail to the straightforward, easy text. Smith’s characters are exquisitely drawn, particularly in the larger illustrations where she has the space to capture subtle complexities of facial expression and body language.

While Smith’s story is unlikely to be considered a captivating read-aloud selection due to its utilitarian sentence structure and sometimes pedestrian word choices, the book will provide young schoolchildren who have mastered the basics of reading with a manageable and satisfying read-alone experience.