Baby Bird

by Joyce Dunbar, Russell Ayto (Illustrator)

In a cheerful, cumulative tale, Baby Bird, determined to fly, refuses to let anything, including the bee, frog, cat, and dog, stand in his way, and he painstakingly works to reach his goal despite a menagerie of distractions.

Genres: Picture Books, Birds, Storytime, Animals, Childrens, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Joyce Dunbar is an English author of over seventy children’s books, best known for Tell Me Something Happy Before I Go To Sleep, This Is The Star, and the Mouse and Mole series. Born in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, she studied English at Goldsmiths College before teaching drama until hearing loss led her to write full time in 1989. Her first children’s book appeared when she was 35, followed by works such as Mundo and the Weather-Child, which explored the experiences of a deaf child and earned critical recognition. Her stories have been adapted for stage, television, and interactive media, with Mouse and Mole becoming a 26-part animated series. She has also been an advocate for deaf awareness, cycling across Cuba for charity. Dunbar lives in Norwich.

Reviews

[Cathi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a simple, fun little book which builds (like This is the House that Jack Built). The message about trying and succeeding is nice but doesn't come on too strong. Also, the illustrations by Russell Ayto are terrific--quite cute and comical.

[MelMon Sanchez · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little lesson in learning.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute book about continuing to try and eventually succeeding.

[Emily Carlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

What are all the animals that baby bird sees? Will baby bird fall or fly? Have kids retell the story to practice narrative skills in the end.

[Tania · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book that is a bit dated but the theme still is so relevant. Keep on trying to reach your goals.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute, colorful book, but I think Disney may have a copyright claim on that cat, who more than mildly resembles the one in "Cinderella."

[Destiny Dawn Long · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the use of multiple panels to convey a sense of movement in the illustrations. It's a technique common to comics, but under-utilized in picture books. The repetition in the text is good for toddlers. I think that they like to encounter a series of similar situations before the climax of the story. Dubar's writing wasn't amazing, but it was a competently written story for the target audience. Likewise I'm not a big fan of the illustrator's style, but that's more a matter of personal taste than anything being inherently wrong with it.

My daughter really enjoyed the book, though. As a toddler she's not as sensitive to these matters of taste. :)

[Libby · Rating 3 out of 5]

This comic format picture book elegantly communicates the tale of a fledgling making a first attempt at flying. I read this book to my daughter perhaps 30 times this morning. Spoiler Alert! Baby Bird dodges the cat and learns to fly.

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun book. Most of the pictures are in paaes, like a comic strip. My boys enjoy this book a lot.

Have the audio version, too.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute book about a baby bird learning to fly. It has very big, bright, colorful illustrations and a simple narrative, so it is good for beginning readers.

[Tsubasa · Rating 5 out of 5]

So lovely book about a baby bird keeping challenging to fly!