Early Bird
PreS—Based on the popular idiom "The early bird catches the worm," Yuly's story follows Early Bird as she gets an early start, taking off before the sun has even finished climbing over the horizon. Early Bird darts through the pages of the book, until at last she finds the Early Worm and the book ends in a happy surprise. This cheerful story moves at a zippy pace and is packed with directional words such as "across," "through," "under," "up," "around," and "over." Early Bird is feisty and full of energy and is drawn with thick lines and colored bright red, which suits her spirited characterization. Rendered in pen and ink and digital media, the illustrations are crisp and vibrant, featuring bold colors, chunky lines, and large, simple shapes. A big, white font allows the words to pop against the colorful images, and the text is laid out to match the directional words used on each page. With its snappy text, vivid pictures, and lively protagonist, this title would make for a fun read-aloud during storyhour.—Laura J. Giunta, Garden City Public Library, NY