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Why I wrote Out of
the Beaks of Birds: For many years I heard students and adults use incorrect verbs. Hearing such constructions as “I seen,” or “have went,” or “have broke,” drove me crazy. Knowing that young children are influenced by language they hear as they mature, I realized that just as we give babies and toddlers picture books of words, colors and shapes, we should be helping them develop the correct usage of our language. When a grandson came along, I would often sit and rock him in my favorite rocking chair on our porch and look out the window at the bird feeder. He was only a few months old when I started making up little stories about the birds. I am sure he didn’t understand, but he would listen intently and look at me as I told the stories. Often, I would change the story and use different verbs in their various tense – present, past and past participle. These stories developed into an idea for the book. I played upon the phrase “out of the mouth of babes” to name the book, Out of the Beaks of Birds. This has been a journey that I have considered for a long time. Maybe the three unfinished novels still sitting in a drawer might come to fruition one day. For now, I hope parents, grandparents, teachers, caregivers use the book to help children hear appropriate language. The benefits of that will serve them for a lifetime of learning. The book is designed for babies, toddlers, and elementary aged children. It can reinforce the study of verbs in around second or third grade. It can be used to read to children or to have young readers practice reading. I decided to add a section of photos and facts about each type of bird used in the various stories to appeal to older children. The facts can be used for school reports, and there are links to more information as well as a link to hear the various songs of the birds. And, I encourage adults to seriously review their own use of the verbs as many will discover they have been using incorrect usage. Already, people have asked me to write another book – focusing on other verbs or on pronouns. We shall see! |
