"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) "Cole's fine-line drawings--black-and-white, with occasional washes of robin's-egg blue--use 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 Cole's 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) "Cole's 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.