Book Review of The Dawn Chorus: Protecting Birdsong Around the World
The Children’s Book Review
The Dawn Chorus: Protecting Birdsong Around the World
Written by Susan Wroble
Illustrated by Alexandra Finkeldey
Ages 5+ | 40 Pages
Publisher: Holiday House | ISBN-13: 9780823460366
The Dawn Chorus: Protecting Birdsong Around the World is a nonfiction picture book that follows the sunrise around the globe and introduces 15 birds and the conservation efforts working to keep their songs alive.
As the sun rises across six continents, readers meet birds from ground dwellers to sky dwellers, each one waking to add its voice to the world’s greatest symphony. From the rainforests of Hawai’i to the pine barrens of Michigan, every spread pairs a bird’s song with the real people working to protect it, including a few young activists. Along the way, children discover that the sounds of morning are worth listening to, and worth saving.
Susan Wroble’s delightfully lyrical language will expand a young reader’s vocabulary. The onomatopoeia begs to be sung aloud like a bird, whit-WHit, putt-Putt, chirwit-chirwit, which makes this a joy for read-alouds and invites children to join in. Wroble also captures the diversity of the world, spanning habitats and species in a way that feels expansive but never overwhelming.
Alexandra Finkeldey’s gently textured artwork, bathed in soft, filtered light, is warm and inviting. Created in acrylic ink and gouache with digital media, the illustrations evoke the beauty of early morning, each habitat with its own sense of place, making the book as pleasing to look at as it is to hear.
The backmatter is a real treasure with supplemental text that balances Wroble’s lyrical language with clear explanations of the threats each bird faces and the conservation successes that give readers hope. A glossary of all 15 featured birds tells readers where they can be found and, a favorite feature, includes a link to a recording of each bird’s song. Also explained is the international dateline and how dawn travels around the world, awakening the birds as it goes. Website links for learning more about birds and birdsong, plus a page on biodiversity and why birds matter, give curious kids plenty to continue their learning and clear next steps.
The Dawn Chorus is a lovely, hopeful addition to the nature shelf that turns listening to birds into an act of care for the planet. Young bird lovers, curious nature-walk explorers, and budding conservationists will be delighted and inspired, and it will be a natural fit for classrooms, libraries, and families who want to welcome the sounds and wonder of the wild into their space and learning segments.
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About the Author
Susan Wroble is a nonfiction writer with degrees in electrical engineering and foreign affairs. Her writing for children has been published by Heinemann, Focus Readers, Brightpoint Press, and Muse magazine. Susan reviews bird books for children at 10000birds.com and has also written for the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, the Rocky Mountain Chapter of Canine Companions, the Denver Rose Society, and the online Colorado Encyclopedia about Suffragists and sports heroes. She served as Co-Regional Advisor for the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the SCBWI for several years and is a long-time member of the Story Spinners critique group. When Susan is not writing, you can find her in her garden listening to the birds, or working at Colorado Children’s Hospital with her family’s therapy dogs.
About the Illustrator
Alexandra Finkeldey (pronounced “fing-cull-die”) is a Canadian illustrator based in Kingston, Canada. She’s had the pleasure of illustrating Gather Grateful by Megan Litwan (Candlewick Press, 2025), On a Mushroom Day by Chris Baker (Tundra Books, 2024), A Horse Called Now by Ruth Doyle (Nosy Crow, 2024), Saving the Spotted Owl by Nicola Jones (Kids Can Press, 2023), When the Storks Came Home by Isabella Tree (Ivy Kids, 2022) True Stories of Animal Heroes: Talala by Vita Murrow (Frances Lincoln, 2021). Alex is an avid reader of non-fiction books, mostly about ecology and our relationship to the natural world. She loves taking photos, foraging for mushrooms, attending concerts, cooking, playing video games, experimenting with textiles, and playing the piano.
