Have you seen the new fiction picture book A Funny Little Bird by Jennifer Yerkes yet? It is ironic the story 
is about a bird who disappears into the background because the buzz is about how much its fresh, lovely illustrations stand out.
The story is a seemingly straightforward fable that makes a few delightfully humorous twists. The main character is a little bird who at first is either ignored or jeered at. After trying on borrowed finery doesn’t work out as he planned, he learns how to make the most of his own “looks.”
What captures everyone’s attention is the author’s playful use of negative space to create the little bird. Children will delight in finding where the bird is and where he isn’t. It is a refreshing to find a book that stimulates visual thinking this way.
A Funny Little Bird is an art teacher’s delight. The creative illustrations are sure to inspire any number of art projects using negative space, color, simple shapes, found objects and/or birds. It might even inspire some concrete or shape poems. You’ll want discover the little bird and what it has to offer for yourself.
If you are so inclined, this book was originally published in French.
Age Range: 4 – 8 years
Hardcover: 48 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky (May 7, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1402280130
ISBN-13: 978-1402280139
Electronic copy supplied by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky for review purposes.
