These bird illustrations by a seven year old are so beautiful that I had to share them with you. No wonder this book won first prize.

WQED’s Education Department holds a Writers Contest every year for children in grades kindergarten through three.  After the judges pick local winners, our first place winners in each grade advance to the national PBS KIDS GO! Writers Contest.  This year two WQED kids won at the national level.  First place honors went to a gorgeous story about birds.

Second grader Haruka Doi, age 7 of Pittsburgh, submitted her story Willie and Hannah about an abandoned baby woodpecker who’s helped by a red-tailed hawk.  Her story is unusual.  Her pictures took my breath away.

Haruka painstakingly constructed each illustration as a mosaic of colored paper scraps that create realistic portrayals of the birds. Above, Willie the woodpecker meets Hannah the red-tail for the first time.  Below, Willie is in his nest hole.  These photos can’t do the pictures justice. They are so intricate you want to touch them.

To see what I mean, click here to see the book and hear Haruka read her story.

At such a young age Haruka is already familiar with the birds, their postures and attitudes. Besides being an author and artist, she may be a birder, too. 

Here she accepts her award in Pittsburgh.

Congratulations, Haruka!

Her birds are winners.

(photos courtesy of WQED)

p.s. Russell native, Cricket Branstrom, won national third place among first-graders for her story, Little Possom’s Adventure.  Click here to see and hear her story.