The Backyard Bird Chronicles
Product ID: 545226878
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#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the author of The Joy Luck Club comes a gorgeous and witty exploration of birding and nature. This inspiring work cultivates hope and connection, revealing the rhythms of our world and uncovering its beauty hidden in plain sight. • With a foreword by David Allen Sibley “Unexpected and spectacular” —Ann Patchett, best-selling author of These Precious Days "The drawings and essays in this book do a lot more than just describe the birds. They carry a sense of discovery through observation and drawing, suggest the layers of patterns in the natural world, and emphasize a deep personal connection between the watcher and the watched. The birds that inhabit Amy Tan’s backyard seem a lot like the characters in her novels.” —David Allen Sibley, from the foreword Tracking the natural beauty that surrounds us, The Backyard Bird Chronicles maps the passage of time through daily entries, thoughtful questions, and beautiful original sketches. With boundless charm and wit, author Amy Tan charts her foray into birding and the natural wonders of the world. In 2016, Amy Tan grew overwhelmed by the state of the world: Hatred and misinformation became a daily presence on social media, and the country felt more divisive than ever. In search of peace, Tan turned toward the natural world just beyond her window and, specifically, the birds visiting her yard. But what began as an attempt to find solace turned into something far greater—an opportunity to savor quiet moments during a volatile time, connect to nature in a meaningful way, and imagine the intricate lives of the birds she admired. Review: Perfect Mom Gift - The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan is an absolutely beautiful book and made the perfect Christmas gift for my 75-year-old mom during her visit. She loves birds, nature, and thoughtful storytelling, and this book delighted her immediately. The spiral-bound format is especially nice—it lays flat and is easy to handle, making it comfortable to read and enjoy at any pace. Amy Tan’s reflections, sketches, and observations are charming, calming, and deeply engaging, turning everyday birdwatching into something meaningful and joyful. If you’re looking for a special, thoughtful gift for a bird lover or someone who enjoys nature and quiet reflection, this book is a wonderful choice. It was very well received and truly treasured. Review: Beautiful artwork and a fun look into someone’s birding journey - The past few years I have become an avid bird lover. I loved reading someone else’s journey into discovering birds in her backyard and journaling it. The drawings were gorgeous and an added bonus. It makes me want to start my own bird journal (if only I could draw). The Backyard d Chronicles is definitely one of my favorite books on my bookshelf.
| Best Sellers Rank | #6,475 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #4 in Bird Field Guides #215 in Memoirs (Books) #929 in Self-Help (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 1,615 Reviews |
H**Y
Perfect Mom Gift
The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan is an absolutely beautiful book and made the perfect Christmas gift for my 75-year-old mom during her visit. She loves birds, nature, and thoughtful storytelling, and this book delighted her immediately. The spiral-bound format is especially nice—it lays flat and is easy to handle, making it comfortable to read and enjoy at any pace. Amy Tan’s reflections, sketches, and observations are charming, calming, and deeply engaging, turning everyday birdwatching into something meaningful and joyful. If you’re looking for a special, thoughtful gift for a bird lover or someone who enjoys nature and quiet reflection, this book is a wonderful choice. It was very well received and truly treasured.
N**H
Beautiful artwork and a fun look into someone’s birding journey
The past few years I have become an avid bird lover. I loved reading someone else’s journey into discovering birds in her backyard and journaling it. The drawings were gorgeous and an added bonus. It makes me want to start my own bird journal (if only I could draw). The Backyard d Chronicles is definitely one of my favorite books on my bookshelf.
L**E
Beautiful!
I always enjoy Amy Tan's writing and I really love birds, bird watching, birding... So this book was a natural choice! I love the illustrations, so whimsical, beautiful, and in some cases more helpful than actual bird books. I mostly enjoyed the text, her interactions, interesting observations, investments-emotional, financial, time, etc. A wonderful book for any birder, backyard or otherwise.
D**E
Beautiful Book for Bird Lovers and Artists
This is a gorgeous book! I gave it as a gift, and I (and the recipient) liked it so much I had to order one for me too! I love the story about how Amy Tan, a well-known fiction author, goot through the pandemic with two new hobbies: birds and art. She has learned to become a fantastic illustrator and nature jourtnalist, and her love and compassion for birds and other wildlife is heartwarming. She has given me hope as these are some of my budding hobbies as well. I don't recomend the audiobook as you're going to want to see the pictures. The flexibound cover is between a hard and soft cover book. I found it nice and it does include a dust jacket.
P**Y
Entertaining and educational backyard bird book
A terrific coffee table or bedside read. Tan’s notes are humorous as well as eduational. Impressive sketches.
C**C
A Treasure Trove
Clare Walker Leslie, John Muir Laws, David Allen Sibley, Annie Dillard, Jo Northrop, & Bill Bryson decide to collab on a book— well, no need, Amy Tan has taken care of it! Ms. Tan has produced a birder/naturalist’s dream in these pages. At first glance it brought back wonderful 1990’s memories of discovering Clare Walker Leslie’s work. Always one with the need to know what’s under the dust jacket, I was delighted to find the little hummer treasure with the initial “A.T.” (Photo #1) With the jacket off, it feels like an over-sized field guide one may carry about and enjoy out of doors. Even the end papers are a visual feast (Photo #2). Ms. Tan’s keen observations noted as journal entries, read much like the lovely 1980-90’s essays of Jo Northrup, but with an ornithological focus. The generous illustrations are both informative and humourous. This book fills a genre long vacant… a book one can simply enjoy as a relaxing good read, whilst still expanding one’s birding knowledge, as well as a study in illustrative technique. I’m thoroughly enjoying this literary treat! Thank you, Ms. Tan. Highly recommended! Thanks for reading, - CC, Amazon Prime Member-Reviewer
L**9
New spin from Tan
Very sweet book by this author. It lacks a lot of substance, but the illustrations make it a pleasure to look at. It’s very nice to see the diversity of her art forms.
N**D
Great book
Great gift for my boyfriend who loves birding
J**A
This gift was never received
This beautiful book never reached my friend. Amazon said it was delivered but she did not get it and I have not been able to get a refund and resend the gift to her.
T**N
A book for bird lovers
Beautiful book, and a perfect gift for the bird nerd in your life.
K**L
Lovely illustrations
Great story and pictures. A fun read loaded with information.
G**D
Birders review
The illustrations are spectacular.
B**D
Amy Tan's best book yet!
We all know what a great writer Amy Tan is but I didn't know that she is an excellent artist who has been drawing sketches and paintings of birds since she was a child. This is my favorite book of hers to date. She encourages us all to look closer, move slower, just observe and then sketch! I love her.
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