Sybil Rosen

A lovely comparison of bird nest-building and human home renovation featuring an African-American father and daughter. I love that the father immediately stops construction when the wrens start building a nest in the bathroom (they had cut a window hole in the outside wall that allowed the birds entry.) Beautiful, expressive illustrations, especially of the father and daughter. My only wee caveat is that I wish fledgling wren illustrations were as realistic-looking as those of the adults, show more and less cute, but that's just me, the birder! show less

The helper of the title is a little girl named Renata who aids her father as he works on building the new bathroom. But a pair of wrens make a nest inside the room after entering a hole in the wall, thus suspending the job. The girl observes as the nest is built, bugs are captured and eaten, small eggs appear and later the babies are born. When the baby birds fall into the claw foot tub and can't fly out, Renata engineers a simple solution and the wren family flies free. Thus Renata has show more assisted two carpenters, her Papi and the wren who built the nest. Satisfying on several levels: father and daughter time, STEM-related observations, problem solving, and appreciating the wonder of nature. show less

This is a slim Young Adult novel but don't let that fool you. It's a tough, unflinching story about racism and anti-semitism, seen through the eyes of an eleven year old girl. The story takes place in the mid-fifties in small town Virginia. Good strong stuff!

It was a sweet book with a good message. The illustrations were unique and engaging and the narrative was simple without being condescending. The story starts off in the middle of Renata and her papi’s remodel of their bathroom. Renata imagines fun bubble baths in the huge claw tub. Both the narrator and the illustrations establish that Renata enjoys helping her papi build and clean up. One day, Renata sees two wrens fly into the bathroom and start building a nest in one of the cabinets. show more Papi puts their project on hold and Renata begins observing the wrens’ actions like a scientist noting what materials they use for the nest, when they leave, when the eggs appear and what kinds of songs they sing. Soon the wrens created a family of their own and Renata watches the as the baby wrens grows big enough to leave the nest. When the youngest wrens struggle to fly, Renata the helper finds a way to get them on their feet, or rather their wings and the book ends happily for all. show less