★ Terrible, Terrible Birds! The (Mostly) True Story of Two Featherbrained Falcons Who Learned from Their Mistakes by Betsy Bird, illus. by Matthew Cordell.
Knopf Books for Young Readers.
“Charity toward beginners is at the heart of this empathic, energetic tale from Bird (POP! Goes the Nursery Rhyme) and Caldecott Medalist Cordell, which spotlights two comically hapless peregrine falcon parents—and the humans perceiving their efforts. When falcon couple Coach Kevin and Teca set up house atop the Evanston Public Library in Illinois, the institution’s human librarians get a front-row seat to newbie parenting mishaps. The librarians judge, crying “Terrible, terrible birds!” in a catchy refrain, but the story’s collective narrator—the library’s young patrons—admire the birds’ persistence and draw comparisons to their own attempts at learning. And as the librarians recoil at the birds’ failure to sit on their eggs and feed their offspring, the children respond reasonably to each attempt: “If no one teaches you to do something, how do you know what to do? Do you just hop on a swing and know how to pump your legs?... No!” Operatically expressive ink-and-watercolor art incorporates a giggly mélange of feathered slapstick and melodramatic human reactions. When the chick, Bibli, finally fledges, this exuberant picture book proves that showing up, again and again, is the whole job. Characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Back matter includes an author’s note. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Stephen Barbara, InkWell Management. Illustrator’s agent: Rosemary Stimola, Stimola Literary Studio. (Feb.)”
—Review on Publishers Weekly, November 13, 2026