Little Red Bird
PreSchool-Grade 1—Life in a birdcage is good for Little Red Bird. Food, water, and reading material are always in ample supply. One day, she notices an interesting sight through the window and decides to venture out through the open cage door. She arrives in the park that had been beckoning to her and sees many wonderful new things—flowers, a fountain, a bench, and sticky trash. But when she spies her old home from afar, she begins to miss the comforts of her cage and must decide whether to return. Her story ends unresolved. "Should she stay?/Should she go?/She just didn't know…/I wonder what YOU would do?" Bruel relates this "grass-is-always-greener" tale in rhythmic verse that could use a little extra sparkle. The colorful watercolors show an eye for comic-book-style story progression, but the bird herself lacks the stroke of visual personality necessary to keep young audiences coming back. Despite the rough spots, Bruel's narrative invites discussion and could be considered as an additional purchase.—Jayne Damron, Farmington Community Library, MICopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.