Sounds gruesome, I know. But kids do find dead birds and they want to pick them up and ask questions about death and “why the bird had to die” and “why you have to die"and d"oes everybody die.”

If you’re not thrilled by the prospect of answering these questions on your own, pick up a copy of Jan Thornhill’s latest book I Found a Dead Bird: The Kids’ Guide to the Cycle of Life and Death.

The death of a bird is the jumping-off point for this intelligent, wide-ranging look at the cycle of life.

What does it mean to be “alive”? Why are some lives short and others long? How do things live and die, and what happens to them after death? These questions and many others are tackled in this book about death and the cycle of life.

Even thinking about death can be unsettling, but avoiding the topic can add to children’s fears. I Found a Dead Bird is a groundbreaking book that explores many fascinating aspects of the cycle of life.

Jan tackles the subject head on, never shirking from reality, but with a life-affirming perspective that connects death to the world around us, a part of the natural, never-ending cycle of life. The book’s lively design and colour photographs reinforce Thornhill’s pragmatic, positive tone.

Jan Thornhill (Toronto) has been a naturalist since childhood. Her picture books Before and After, Wild in the City and Over in the Meadow have won critical acclaim, and The Wildlife ABC and The Wildlife 123 were both nominated for the Governor General’s Award. She has also won the Conaculta 7th International Award for the Illustration of a Children’s Book and an IBBY selection for Outstanding Picture Book for her book The Rumor.