I received this book for free. This does not impact my review in any shape or form. 

Wren’s Nest by Heidi Stemple and Illustrated by Eugenia Nobati is a children’s story about the lessons passed from generation to generation and, despite how daunting it may seem at first, how to find a home you cherish. Wren, a girl who lives with her parents and grandfather, takes care of and learns from the birds that her grandfather delightfully shows her. When she and her family move to the city, she struggles to find birds to bird watch, aside from, of course, the pigeons. However, she’ll soon encounter a welcome hobby from her past that teaches her that home isn’t that far off. 

I absolutely loved this book. I loved how the different generations care for each other, especially during this day and age when all families seem divided. I liked how gentle the grandfather is with Wren, and how that relationship is mirrored in nature around them. It’s almost like a community of humans and animals celebrating life. It’s a good way of introducing nature therapy into a session, and reiterates the importance of looking out for one another. We’re not isolated as we pretend to be, and it’s a statement I plan on taking with me in my personal and professional life. 

Moreover, the illustrations remind me of something you’d see in a charming doll store; clockwork figurines everywhere that tells stories from lives long forgotten, and antiques that are layered dust. Despite them living in the city, there are still glimpses of nature here and there. When I was younger, there’d alway be bird nests built on the second floor. Granted, it wasn’t always the safest, and more often than not my Dad and I would find broken shells and broken bodies. So I enjoy the idea of Wren and Grandpa keeping watch over the nests, just as the birds welcome new life.