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From the author of The Joy Luck Club comes a gorgeous and witty exploration of birding and nature. This inspiring work cultivates hope and connection, revealing the rhythms of our world and uncovering its beauty hidden in plain sight.
Tracking the natural beauty that surrounds us, The Backyard Bird Chronicles maps the passage of time through daily entries, thoughtful questions, and beautiful original sketches. With boundless charm and wit, author Amy Tan charts her foray into birding and the natural wonders of the world.
In 2016, Amy Tan grew overwhelmed by the state of the world: Hatred and misinformation became a daily presence on social media, and the country felt more divisive than ever. In search of peace, Tan turned toward the natural world just beyond her window and, specifically, the birds visiting her yard. But what began as an attempt to find solace turned into something far greater—an opportunity to savor quiet moments during a volatile time, connect to nature in a meaningful way, and imagine the intricate lives of the birds she admired.
Do you attend author readings? If so, which author or authors have been the most fun or interesting?
My hubby, my BFF, and I went to see Amy Tan talk about 'The Backyard Bird Chronicles' and she was absolutely wonderful. It was part of the 20th anniversary celebration of BirdNote, which got its start in our home town of Seattle.
-Evonne_Benedict
What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (11/27/2025)
Savoring Amy Tan's Backyard Bird Chronicles, and delighting in the imaginary conversations of my feathered feeder friends.
-Nancy_B
"At turns engaging, sad, and philosophical, this highly recommended title demonstrates that anyone can be a bird watcher by simply venturing into their own backyard and it encourages readers to be aware of the natural world around them. Fans of Tan's fiction will love this, but so will most other general readers." —Library Journal (starred review)
"A charming bird journey ... [Tan] fashions her findings into delightful and approachable journal excerpts, accompanied by her gorgeous color sketches ... An ebullient nature lover's paean to birds." —Kirkus Reviews
"Tan's observations of her avian guests, recorded in journal form, are both entertaining and informative. And the drawings that illustrate her musings are remarkable ... Like the early naturalists, Tan learns by watching, bringing no preconceptions, and it's a pleasure to sit with her as she observes and accumulates knowledge. She takes careful notes, she sketches what she sees and she tries to draw conclusions ... Fun, messy spontaneity, it turns out, can make for an awfully good book." —Los Angeles Times
"This is one of the most infectious and convincing books about nature I've read. For the bird-watcher, the would-be bird-watcher, or for the bird-watching skeptic, this offers great delight and unexpected intrigue. Through Tan's ecstatic eyes, what could be a dry treatise on ornithological happenings becomes something far more fun and much more profound. It's really a book about seeing." —Dave Eggers, author of Ungrateful Mammals
"Anybody even mildly interested in birds, or thinking about getting interested in birds (which are, after all, the indicator genus for the health of the planet), will want this book perched on their shelf, if only for the gift of Amy Tan's eye and the example she gives us of how to pay attention. What a treasure." —Robert Hass, Pulitzer Prize-Winning author of Summer Snow: New Poems
This information about The Backyard Bird Chronicles was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Amy Tan is the author of several novels, including The Joy Luck Club and The Bonesetter's Daughter. She is a co-producer and co-screenwriter of the film version of The Joy Luck Club and is on the board of American Bird Conservancy. She lives in Sausalito, California.
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