"[Colly's Barn] is a good choice for fluent early readers transitioning to chapter books." —School Library Journal

Gr 2–3—Colly is a swallow that migrates every year to the old barn on the farm where Annie lives with her parents and Grandad. Her grandfather is very sentimental about the barn, but her father plans to demolish it. The birds that live there with Colly converse and offer one another support when they find their home threatened, first by a storm and later by the plan to tear it down. Grandad helps Annie to understand the barn's importance as a place for birds to nest and raise their young. One evening Screecher, an owl, visits them in what seems like a dream to tell them about her father's plan. Annie convinces him to spare the barn, although it is too late for Colly, who has died of exhaustion from efforts to repair the building. Young readers will learn about the migration of barn swallows and sympathize with Colly's struggles to protect her fledglings. Andrew's realistic, colorful pastel sketches enhance every page. This book is a good choice for fluent early readers transitioning to chapter books.—Diane Antezzo, Ridgefield Library, CT