"Beautiful, informative, and appropriate to the audience. Robin's-egg blue highlights this account of an American robin family's year. [ The] bright color contrast[ s] arrestingly with [ the] black-and-white surroundings. Cole varies the design from vignettes and panels to full- and double-page spreads. The relatively simple text, expressed in short sentences, is very accessible, and the natural history is accurate. Aimed at a younger audience, this conveys essential information." Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Coles fine-line drawingsblack-and-white, with occasional washes of robins-egg blueuse short, agitated lines and layered hatching to richly render the birds world." Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Scenes of incredible detail and beauty. Though considered fiction, everything in this story is true to nature, which is unsurprising considering Coles past as a science teacher. He uses limited but smoothly written text to describe a year in these robins lives. The arresting artwork is large enough to share in a group setting, but youngsters will also want to pore over its many details." Booklist (starred review)
"Coles nature sketches reveal a keen eye and hand. A stellar offering. Nature lovers of all ages will enjoy this beautiful, informative book." School Library Journal (starred review)
"Cole illustrates a pair of robins, employing gentle black-and-white crosshatching and one dramatic pop of color: the signature deep robins-egg blue of the eggs. Uncomplicated language describes the nesting process, while illustrations both mirror and extend the text. [ A] solidly scientific account." Horn Book Magazine
