A Terrible Place for a Nest

A child learns to settle into a new home in this lyrical and stirring picture book perfect for fans of MEMORY JARS and EVELYN DEL REY IS MOVING AWAY.

Juno and his mom have just moved into a new home, and he hates everything about it - the new school, his new classmates, his new room.

Just outside his window, Juno notices a family of mourning doves have started a nest atop the fence, and they seem to be struggling to make it work, too. Sure enough, Juno concludes this new place is a terrible place to build a nest.

But, as winter turns to spring and the doves grow, so does Juno. And while this new place may be scary and sometimes lonely, they will all make it work, together.

Lyrical and hopeful, A Terrible Place for a Nest is a tender and uplifting tale about facing new experiences with empathy and courage.

Author: Sara Levine
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Published: 07/30/2024
Pages: 40
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.9lbs
Size: 9.30h x 10.39w x 0.40d
ISBN: 9781250861221
Audience: Ages 4-8


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 03/15/2024
Publishers Weekly 03/25/2024
Horn Book Magazine 07/01/2024 pg. 104

About the Author

Sara Levine is a veterinarian, an educator, and an award-winning author of science-focused picture books, including Bone by Bone: Comparing Animal Skeletons, A Peek at Beaks: Tools Birds Use, and The Animals Would Not Sleep!. A Terrible Place for a Nest was inspired by a couple mourning doves who did, in fact, build their nest in an inconvenient location. Sara and her daughter have had to move more times than they would have liked in recent years and are currently settling into a new nest in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Erika Meza grew up in Mexico and moved houses more often than she had birthdays. Having studied illustration in Paris, she now lives in London--her thirty-sixth address--where she paints, writes her own stories, and practices her uncanny ability to pack efficiently. Erika loves exploring, learning about many different places and cultures, and finding joy in the people who allow you to be yourself.