Speak Up With Your Beak Up!

by Shannon Anderson, Olga Demidova (illustrator)

Speak Up with Your Beak Up! is a must-have for any child's bookshelf that delivers a powerful message about the importance of speaking up, inclusion, and communication.

In this heartwarming tale from the Clever Storytime series, Squeak dreams of becoming a teacher but feels overshadowed by Squawk. During a game of hide-and-seek, Scooter feels excluded when he can't fly to find his friends, and Skeeter is too embarrassed to admit he's hungry. When Squeak bravely speaks up for himself, everyone else feels empowered to speak up for themselves, too! While learning how to communicate, the friends also learn the value of taking turns, supporting each other, and including everyone.

Vibrant illustrations help deliver important messages.
Perfect for read-aloud sessions or independent reading
Teaches social skills, teamwork, and problem-solving.
A valuable resource for parents and educators alike!
Now available in softcover!
Readers can follow Scooter’s other adventures in Heroes Don’t Have to Fly: Scooter the Word Bird!

32 pages, Paperback

Expected publication December 31, 2026

About the author

Shannon Anderson has taught for 25 years, from first grade through college level. Her career highlight was being named one of the Top 10 Teachers who inspired the Today Show.
She is an award-winning children's book author, TEDx speaker, certified brain coach, and frequent keynote speaker. She LOVES to do author visits and coach aspiring writers. You can visit her website at www.shannonisteaching.com to find out more!

Reviews

[Jodi Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

All our favorite bird friends from HEROES DON'T HAVE TO FLY are back with more positive inspiration to encourage and promote self-esteem and self-confidence in SPEAK UP WITH YOUR BEAK UP! Readers will easily relate to Shannon Anderson’s sweet, yet flawed characters as they play school and discover important lessons on both standing up for themselves as well as showing empathy to their mates. Olga Demidova’s luscious, colorful illustrations not only share insight into the characters’ emotions, but also add a humorous touch. Highly recommend!

[Candace Spizzirri · Rating 5 out of 5]

SPEAK UP WITH YOUR BEAK UP by Shannon Anderson delivers a great message for kids and adults alike about speaking up and advocating for yourself.
In this delightful story, Squeak wants to have a turn playing teacher but Squawk always takes the role, Scooter can’t find his friends during hide and seek because he is unable to fly, and Skeeter is too hungry to even play.

Olga Demidova’s sweet, colorful illustrations are delightful.

Perfect for classrooms, homes, and libraries. A terrific conversation starter about speaking up and sharing feelings. 100% recommended.

[Rebecca Gardyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scooter the Word Bird is back in this sweet sequel about telling others how you feel. I love the colorful illustrations and the subtle kid-relatable message of this story. All too often kids (and adults) hold in their feelings for fear of hurting someone else’s but, of course, if we don’t speak up for ourselves, we will never get what we need. A great book to help spark kids’ empathy and for reminding kids to advocate for themselves.

[Nadia Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

SPEAK UP WITH YOUR BEAK UP is a wonderful book that teaches us, or reminds us, the importance of advocating for ourselves. The different characters all have different feelings surrounding the day's activities, and once Scooter reads about the importance of using your words to speak up, the other birds realize they should say how they've been feeling. Wonderful book with beautiful, colorful illustrations!

[Maria Antonia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the scene where Squeak gets excited about playing school and maybe getting to be the teacher. (Flashbacks to my childhood!) Except, the poor little bird doesn't get to be teacher. At least, not at first. A book with a great reminder to kids that sometimes they just need to speak up if they feel left out.

[Maria Wen Adcock · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this story, various characters have big feelings but are having a hard time communicating how they feel. The book has themes of SEL (social emotional learning), encouraging your readers to empathize with others. It also shows kids that it's okay to advocate for themselves by speaking up and using their words.

[Kris Tarantino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Speak Up with Your Beak Up is a playful story about using your words and speaking up for yourself. A delightful social emotional learning story about being brave and expressing what you need as well as showing empathy for others. Perfect for children who are have a hard time expressing how they feel.

[Moni Ritchie Hadley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scooter is back with a wonderful message: even though it can be tough at times, sharing our needs is really important! This book is a fantastic way to inspire compassion for kids who might struggle to express their feelings. It's a must-have social-emotional learning (SEL) resource for families and classrooms.

[Ana Siqueira · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful message to empower kids to speak up. Sharing their feelings is important. Sometimes our friends don't even notice what we want if we don’t tell them. Like Squeak who wanted to play the teacher but was never given the chance. Relatable characters and fun art will keep readers engaged. Perfect for classroom meetings.

[Christine Zandt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will engage young kid with its vibrant art and uplifting message, teaching them that they can speak up to let others know what they need. A welcome addition to classrooms that demonstrates compassionate behavior in a way that kids will easily understand via the use of fun birds.

[Becky Lance · Rating 5 out of 5]

The birds are back! This story has a great message, and will spark great discussions in the classroom, home, and community. The beautiful illustrations continue with this second book of Scooter the Word Bird.

[Amanda Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scooter is back in this sweet read that encourages readers to speak up when something is bothering them and advocate for what they need. Fun and relatable characters make the story and its themes accessible to all.

[Michelle Chan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fun, SEL story teaches young readers to speak up for themselves and learn to communicate their emotions when conflict arises between peers. I loved the creativity of including a variety of different birds in a birdhouse and wooded area as the classroom setting!

[Charlotte Cheng · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely way to teach kids about the importance of using their words to express their feelings, needs, and limitations! The illustrations are colorful and each character has a distinct personality. This is a great sequel to the series and will be an engaging read for any kid.

[Cindy Schrauben · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Keep your beak up and speak up!" A great story about using your words to solve a problem - a universal struggle that everyone can learn relate to.

[Deb Adamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story of empowerment for kids who have a challenging time expressing their feelings. An important social emotional title perfect for beginning a discussion about speaking up for themselves.

[Shruthi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun story that encourages children to speak up for themselves. With themes of social-emotional learning, it is a good addition to libraries and classrooms.