Goldfinches by Oliver, Mary

Caldecott Honoree Melissa Sweet gorgeously illustrates the work of Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Mary Oliver for the first time in picture book form.

Have you heard them singing in the wind, above the final fields?
Have you ever been so happy in your life?

Mary Oliver, winner of the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize, is one of America's most beloved poets. Introducing her unforgettable words to children for the very first time, her poem "Goldfinches" joyfully observes the power of the natural world as only Mary Oliver can.

Illuminated by the exquisite mixed-media artwork of Caldecott Honoree Melissa Sweet, Goldfinches fills the reader with wonder for the beauty around them and gratitude for the ability to bear witness to it.

Author: Mary Oliver
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
Published: 03/03/2026
Pages: 40
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.64lbs
Size: 9.28h x 7.86w x 0.37d
ISBN: 9780593692417
Audience: Ages 4-8

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 01/19/2026
Booklist 02/01/2026
Horn Book Magazine 03/01/2026 pg. 75
Kirkus Reviews 01/01/2026

About the Author
Mary Oliver (1935-2019) was born in a small town in Ohio and published her first work of poetry in 1963 at the age of twenty-eight. Over the course of her long career, she received numerous awards. Her fourth book, American Primitive, won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1984. She led workshops and held residencies at various colleges and universities, including Bennington College, where she held the Catharine Osgood Foster Chair for Distinguished Teaching.

Please learn more about Mary Oliver at MaryOliver.com or on Instagram @MaryOliverOfficial.

Melissa Sweet is a celebrated author and illustrator. She has written and illustrated many award-winning children's books, including Balloons Over Broadway and Some Writer! The Story of E. B. White, and is a three-time recipient of the New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book, as well as a two-time Caldecott Honoree. She is an avid birder and Maine Master Naturalist, and lives in Portland, Maine.

Please visit her at MelissaSweet.net.