Once, a Bird by Rina Singh, illustrated by Nathalie Dion

Once, the world went quiet.

Once, as the winter ended, a little bird emerged to find the world had gone quiet.

The streets were empty and the playgrounds still. Puzzled but determined, the bird explores the town in search of a suitable place to nest. The residents of an apartment building notice her resting in a tree outside and take comfort in her song. Watching through their windows, they look beyond their lives and pause to appreciate the wonders of nature. The bird chooses to make this community her home and builds a nest, an act of resilience and hope that inspires the humans to emerge as well, reminding them that natural rhythms continue, seasons change and life goes on. Once again.

This wordless picture book is a hopeful contemplation of our interconnectedness with the natural world and the joy that nature brings us, even in unusual times.

(From Orca Book Publishers)

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Once, a Bird is for ages 3 to 4.

Rina Singh is a Toronto-based author of children's books. Some of her other works include Grandmother School, which won the Christie Harris Illustrated Children's Literature Prize in 2021 and 111 Trees, which won the Social Justice Literature Award and was a finalist for the 2022 Yellow Cedar Award. She was also nominated for the Red Cedar Award for her book Diwali: A Festival of Lights.

Nathalie Dion is a Montreal-based illustrator. She has illustrated several picture books, including Kumo, the bashful cloud by Kyo Maclear, The Dog's Gardener by Patricia Storms and The Big Bad Wolf in My House written by Valrie Fontaine and translated by Shelley Tanaka which won the Prix Espigle in 2021.The Big Bad Wolf in My House was also a finalist for the Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book Award, Governor General's Literary Award and the Harry Black Picture Book Award.