Goldfinches

Sweet vibrantly illuminates an incisive and joyful work from the late poet Oliver in a picture book that takes the feel of a naturalist’s notebook. Accompanying the author’s evocative lines about goldfinches’ use of thistle down for nest building, an abundance of techniques and materials mingle in bursting collages that capture the poem’s midsummer setting, featuring bold pink thistle pods, teal and turquoise leaves, and citrus yellow skies. In some places, a palette of watercolor paints sits alongside the renderings, underscoring the book’s multi-layered portrayal of process—the finches’ and Oliver’s alike. In other spots, notes call out scientific information about the birds (“Female goldfinch builds the nest, lashing it to branches with spider silk”). The finches themselves are shown in varied degrees of detail, frequently observed by a pale-skinned figure who reappears throughout with pencil and notebook in hand. Accompanying the work’s concluding line (“Have you ever been so happy in your life?”), inky skies full of seeds and stars tether nest-building and art-making for a wondrous close that points to the generative meaning that can arise from paying attention. An artist’s note concludes. Ages 4–8. (Mar.)