The Backyard Bird Chronicles

In the Preface, Tan writes that the journey that led to The Backyard Bird Chronicles included enrolling in a class on nature drawing and journaling, and meeting a 13-year-old named Fiona who showed her how to see with a sense of wonder: “Her curiosity and exuberance over so many things brought me back to that time in my childhood when I crouched and touched plants and animals, when I turned things over to see what was underneath, when I happily spent hours lost in curiosity and exploration, and was never satiated” (xix). Fiona helped Tan, who was then in her sixties, to reconnect with a way of seeing that had previously belonged only to Tan’s childhood.

Tan’s collection of journal entries reveals an evolution of her skill as an observer. In this process, drawing and understanding are intrinsically connected. As she grows in her knowledge of birds, her drawings become more detailed and accurate. As she practices “pencil miles,” she notices more and becomes more finely tuned to the intricate details of her study subjects. The opening illustration, a hummingbird feeding from a Lilliputian feeder from her hand, lacks the details of many of her later drawings. It also emphasizes her over the bird in its natural habitat.