The Kweeks of Kookatumdee

by Bill Peet

The birdlike kweeks are starving because their island does not have enough ploppolop fruit trees to feed them all, until Quentin makes an amazing discovery.

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

32 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1985

About the author

Bill Peet was an American children's book illustrator and a story writer for Disney Studios. He joined Disney in 1937 and worked on The Jungle Book, Song of the South, Cinderella, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, The Sword in the Stone, Goliath II, Sleeping Beauty, Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, Dumbo, Pinocchio, Fantasia, The Three Caballeros, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and other stories.

After successes developing short stories for Disney, Peet had his first book published, Hubert's Hair Raising Adventure.

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was ok, but I don’t think this is one of Bill Peets best. Kweeks are a sort of bird stuck on an island with one tree source and it’s every bird for himself. They fight over food. Quentin, a bird, decides they need to start working together and share food. They never really get there, but he faces down the bully who got all the food and got real big and mean. The birds are starving as the bully eats everything now. They decide to confront the bully all together, but only Quentin attacks and is chased around the little island until he is pushed to a cliff. The bird discovers that being starved, he is able to fly.

It doesn’t really work. The birds try and organize and it never happens. They never work together. One brave bird has to do all this on his own. They never learn how to work together. It’s a fail. They do get off the island where food is plentiful, at least all but the bully. The bully is stuck on the island, to big to fly.

The verse is rhyming and I enjoy his lines. I think he is trying to be like Dr. Seuss here. He doesn’t quite make it. The artwork is pure Bill Peet, but the story let me down. It needed more work. I love what I have read so far, but this is low on my Bill Peet list.

The nephew wasn’t all that impressed with this either. He thought the birds were weird in a not good way. He did like the funny words and that made him laugh. He was glad the birds got off the island. He gave this 2 stars for the funny words.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Bill Peet books. This is a cute one. These books are fantastic children books.

[Kerison (kiwireads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

My childhood 🥺🥺🥺

[The Brothers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the story (rhyming) about the little kweeks just trying to survive then the big, bully kweek comes along to make things hard.

Great, great illustrations. Reminiscent of Dr. Suess in story and style.

[Shel]

Not my favorite Bill Peet book, sort of similar to a few others he's written, but still… it's Bill Peet, and he remains one of my all time favs.

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good book. I liked the characters, and I liked the illustrations.

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not one of Peet's better stories. Trite and dull.

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've enjoyed a lot of Bill Peet's stories (esp. those that rhyme). This one rhymes. Good lesson about greediness. (Although I don't like the way they chose to attack the bully. Heh.)

[Maki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute story about what to do with bullies.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bunch of birds living on a small island live in fierce competition with one another, fighting for food, until most of them learn the advantages of moderation...

[Panda Incognito · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was overjoyed to find two Bill Peet books I hadn't read on the library shelf recently, since I thought they had all been removed from the system for being too old and worn. Apparently, these were long overdue copies that just got returned, almost two years after I tried to request them and couldn't. Since the barcodes are no longer in the system, these never should have made it to the shelf, but they were there for me!

This story isn't one of Peet's best, but the illustrations are creative, colorful, and expressive. It's a cute tale of overcoming hardship and bullying, and being able to discover a surprise solution to your problem. However, people who are sensitive to issues relating to food and eating disorders will want to know that the ending of the story says that the birds are careful not to eat too much and get fat, so that they will still be able to fly. The point here is that the birds will choose self-control and not be greedy and controlling like the bird who terrorized them before, but some people may want to avoid the theme.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

A brood of flightless birds known as Kweeks all live on a tiny island, with only once source of food. A plan is needed to ensure that everyone gets their fare share, but one bird named Jed has other plans, and the plan is for him to have all of the fruit from the one tree. Told in rhyme this free for all feeding frenzy has an interesting twist at the end.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chose for Earth Day, but what it turns out to be is a fable about trying to stand up to the Donald Trump Jed-like bullies of the world.

(I mean, just look at that hair on Jed, and that behavior.)

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice change of pace as it’s actually in rhyme. But I feel it would be a bit odd to read aloud, at least without practice, as it doesn’t have a constant flowing rhythm.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this book to use with a geography group. It has an island. I didn’t dislike the story but I’m not anxious to read it again. I’m not sure why it is so pricy!

[Natasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lesson in not being greedy. Kind of Dr Seuss style, but Bill Peet's books come off a bit darker.

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bill Peet - This book is perfect to show that bullying doesn't result in happiness. The bully in this book becomes too fat from eating all of the food, that he can't fly when all of the rest of the birds fly away. We should all share. There is rhyming!

[Putnam Harper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pictures probably higher than the verse, which is okay, Doctor Seuss-like anapests but less fluid. Harsh to judge children's poetry this way, especially a personal childhood favorite, as this was wholesome.

[Samantha wickedshizuku Tolleson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good lesson on what greediness can cost you, and shows you patience has its own rewards.

[Terryann Saint · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply love everything Bill Peet ever did.