LIGHTS OUT

The rescue of a disoriented sparrow introduces the problems that city lights pose for migrating birds.

A flock of sparrows sets out, but the glare of streetlights and bright signs prevents them from seeing the stars. They scatter, and one is left behind but is soon rescued by a girl and her father, who take the bird to a rehab center. Over the winter the sparrow heals, while the girl and her schoolmates mount a campaign to encourage people to turn their lights off at night during migration season. When the sparrows return in the spring, the lights have been turned off, the stars are visible, and they all find their way through the city safely—including the left-behind sparrow, who’s since recovered. The simple, smoothly written text sits directly on a backdrop of digital illustrations featuring stylized city scenes and country landscapes, all of which would show nicely to a group. Readers may be slightly confused at the references to window collision; children may need the help of an adult to understand that reflective window glass and light pollution are two separate problems. (This difference is made clear in the backmatter.) Thoughtfully, the illustrator has shown gloved adult hands picking up the birds. The girl and her father are brown-skinned; the classroom is diverse.

A feel-good story of a successful children’s campaign to make the world safer for birds.