A Funny Little Bird
K-Gr 1-The artwork is the charm of this petite picture book. The simple, jewel-toned illustrations pop against abundant white space, making a crisp and vivid presentation. Spare text tells the tale of an invisible bird that is tired of being teased for his appearance (or lack of one) and decides to adorn himself with a hodgepodge of leaves, blooms, and feathers from other birds. He gets noticed, but it's at a price: one of his admirers is a fox. The bird realizes his invisibility is a quality that benefits not only him but small friends as well, since he can camouflage them from predators. With only a few words per page, the book can serve either as a quick read-aloud or an accessible text for early readers. Refreshingly, Yerkes gives a nod of respect to the youngest readers with a sprinkling of more sophisticated vocabulary ("vanity," "souvenir," "discreet," etc.) and elegantly understated art that blend together in a sweet and lovely package.-Alyson Low, Fayetteville Public Library, ARα(c) Copyright 2011.  Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.  No redistribution permitted.