The Bird Book

In this grandly expressive seventh collection by the poet Sidney Wade, readers will experience birds in ways they never dreamed of. From “a swift noun” to “fly like the heartstrings” to “the inside tissue/of his mouth/which is as blue/as his ocular jewelry,” Wade combines her affinity for avian observation with her extraordinary use of language. In this volume, word images seem lightly floated onto the page with never an excess. I even tried singing a few of the poems for they are wonderfully lyrical—in my mind, Wade is the reigning avian psalmist of our times. The collection is powerfully illustrated with John James Audubon’s drawings of birds. I cannot think of a more perfect gift for avian aficionados than Sidney Wade’s BIRD BOOK.B.C. HughesRochester NY