It's all-you-can-eat
at the Bluebird Café,
A grasshopper-katydid-cricket buffet,
with berries and snails
and a bluebottle fly,
a sip of the lake
and a bite of the sky.

A world of birds unfolds in twenty-two vivid poems that capture the unique personalities of birds from backyard blue jays to toucans and cockatoos. Come sweep through the sky with an eagle, compare table manners with a vulture, and mock a mockingbird -- if you dare!

Debora Ruddell's poems are funny and thoughtful, silly and sweet. Joan Rankin's delightful pictures enchant the eye and tickle the funny bone. There is something for everyone who flies through the pages of this brilliantly birdbrained book.

About The Author

Deborah Ruddell

Deborah Ruddell is the author of the celebrated picture books Who Said Coo?, illustrated by Robin Luebs, and A Whiff of Pine, A Hint of Skunk and Today at the Bluebird Cafe, both illustrated by Joan Rankin. Before writing children’s books, she was an art teacher and a graphic designer. Deborah lives in Peoria, Illinois. Visit her at DeborahRuddell.com.

Product Details

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books (February 27, 2007)
Length: 32 pages
ISBN13: 9780689871535
Ages: 4 - 10

Raves and Reviews

"A terrific introduction to poetry, with a smile attached." -- Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)

"Ruddell demonstrates a passion for winged creatures that readers may well find palpable and infectious." -- Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

Awards and Honors

Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best

Resources and Downloads

Activity Sheets

Poetry Brochure (feat. favorite S&S authors) (pdf)

High Resolution Images

Book Cover Image (jpg): Today at the Bluebird Cafe
Hardcover 9780689871535

(3.3 MB)

Author Photo (jpg): Deborah Ruddell
Photograph © Brian Ruddell

(0.2 MB)

Any use of an author photo must include its respective photo credit

Today at the Bluebird Cafe