Igor. El pájaro que no sabía cantar (Coleccion Los Especiales de a la Orilla del Viento)

by Satoshi Kitamura

Igor es un pájaro que ansía cantar en el inicio de la primavera, como lo hacen otras aves. Le emociona saber que, al finalizar el invierno, él también formará parte del coro que dará la bienvenida a la época más colorida del año y entonará una canción por primera vez. Pero el día llega e Igor enfrenta una realidad que no imaginaba.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Music, Childrens, Fiction

40 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 26, 2005

About the author

Satoshi Kitamura was born in 1956. After dropping out of school to pursue art, Kitamura decided not to attempt a 10-year apprenticeship as a potter and instead worked as a graphic artist. He was not trained as an artist, but at the age of 19 began to do commercial work as an illustrator for adverts and magazines. He moved from Tokyo to London in 1979 where he worked mainly at designing greeting cards.
Satoshi Kitamura has won several awards, including the Mother Goose Award, the National Art Library Award from the Victoria and Albert Museum, and a Nestle Children’s Book Prize Silver Medal. He lives in Japan.

Reviews

[Cleo Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! The illustrations are stunning, colourful and witty and the story is poignant which sends out an important message ; it is ok to be different. Spring has arrived and Igor can't wait to start singing but when he joins the Dawn chorus the other birds laugh at his singing. Feeling downheartened he goes to a music teacher who he belives will help him improve, however, she cannot warm to his individual style and tells him to give up. Distraught he flies far away to a deserted plain where he starts nest-building. One evening he becomes so mezmorized by the beautiful sunset that he breaks out into a song. This time his unique style brings not just joy but impressive results!

[Tahera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Igor is a bird who loves music but his dreams of being a music aficionado are quashed when he discovers to his dismay that he cannot sing. His friends ridicule him for singing out of tune and they do things like fall out of trees for laughing so much. Igor does everything he can to improve his singing; he visits Madam Goose for music lessons but she cannot help him 'I have done all I can...I'm sorry. I have failed.' Igor fears that he may not have a talent after all, he escapes to a faraway place where no one would hear his singing. He comes across an unlikely companion, a dodo bird and we quickly discover that they have more in common than we had first thought. Poignant and humorous, this story is about perseverance and about following your dreams in the face of adversity. The illustrations are colourful and stylish, conveying themes of individual expression and musical interpretation. A wonderful and uplifting tale which Yr 1 children and older will enjoy and appreciate. A great book to share with the class and a great way to explore the concepts in Expressive Arts.

[Tam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book had a good message for my boys (ages 4 & 8) except when Igor was done with his singing lessons. He walked away and said to himself, "I have no talent . . . oh, how I hate myself." Not exactly the kind of thing kids should be thinking.

[Stephanie Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book! I like how it teaches children about never giving up on something you love to do even if you might not be the best at first and others make fun of you. I like the connection between animals and music.

[Marion Jacobs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short story is based around a bird named Igor who had never sung before. Igor was very much looking forward to singing with the other birds now that Spring had arrived. However when Igor attempted to sing he was only welcomed with complaints, 'who spoiled our music?'. He took it upon himself to practice and used instruments like a tuning fork and scales. He went back to sing to his friends but was only laughed at. In another helpless attempt Igor turns to Madam Goose to try and improve his singing. Once again this does not work out so well an Igor is left feeling very low. He decided that he has no talent and that it would be best if he left to live alone. One evening Igor felt a sudden urge to sing, he checked there was no one around and then begun to sing and sing. The story concludes with Igor accidentally waking up a giant bird from his singing. The bird braises him and not only asks to join in but for them to create a band and tour the world.

This story has a great moral to it and one that is expressed in a very subtle way. The key issue within this story is the idea of self belief, which I believe is a really important issue to talk about with children. Therefore I believe this story would be fantastic to use as a tool when looking into the idea of confidence and self belief. It could be used as a tool to start a class discussion on this topic, especially for schools that teach PSCH. The imagery used is very colourful and imaginative. When I read this story to my year 1 class they were fully engaged and mentioned they really enjoyed the visual imagery that compliments the text. This particular book would be best suited for KS1 children.

[Mathew · Rating 4 out of 5]

To all the other birds, Igor's singing is appalling. He takes up lessons, practices day and night but ultimately his tune does not ring true to those around him. He flies everywhere hoping to find a similar tune but alas, it evades him. Finally, he finds a place to himself and, inspired by the beauty of a sunset, decides to sing to - with a wonderful result.

It would be a terrible world if we all sang to the same tune and Igor's story reminds us of this. The picturebook is dedicated to Ornette Coleman and if you have access to his jazz (Spotify?/YouTube?) then read whilst listening to it. It makes ALL the difference.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book for two reasons: in the pictures I saw the influence of comics/manga and kamishibai on Satoshi's work; and it tells the story of my life, since I am off-key. As a revenge, I would like my secondary Music teacher to read this story.
Anyway, the story wants to communicate an important message: believe in yourself, no matter what other people tell you, you are on the earth to express yourself and share your life with nature.
This piece of art has many implications in education: role play, shared reading, even a performance on stage transforming the characters into human beings.

[Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kitamura's endearing illustrations bring the story of Igor, the bird who couldn't sing, to life. Along the way we learn about being outcast and finding our confidence again, with the odd bit of musical terminology thrown in for us to learn as we go. The way Kitamura illustrates sound and music, in particular, is magic.

[Zoe Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful message! Igor is laughed at by the flock as they say he can't sing. However, Igor's love for singing brings him to meet a new friend who LOVES his singing and they form a band together.

[Elizabeth Jamieson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely story depicting the message of never giving up, no matter how bad things get!

[Katherine Morton]

Perfect book for a Shared Reading opportunity to key stage 1/lower key stage 2
Picture Book - great visual interpretations can be made!

[Guilherme Semionato · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USRrv...

[Alejandra Inclán · Rating 5 out of 5]

Está historia como adulta me llegó, pues habla de la desaprobación de los demás por algo que quieres hacer y que los demás desprecian, a pesar de tu lucha por hacerlo bien.

[Vania Alejandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recordar que hay lindas ilustraciones

[Pami.Rb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Igor el ave que canta muy mal. Pese a la ridiculización de sus amigos, nunca dejo de intentarlo. Hasta que lo logró. La persistencia de Igor nos sirve en todo!

[Clemmie Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Igor the bird is humiliated by friends when he cannot sing. He practises & asks for help, but feels defeated after nothing changes. Eventually he finds a peaceful place & finds his voice & a new friend. Kitamura uses incredible illustrations using vivid colours to convey sounds. This book is a great introduction into music for children.

[The Styling Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Igor The Bird Who Couldn’t Sing by Satoshi Kitamura – I just love this author/illustrator… This book is about a bird who couldn’t wait to sing for the first time and when he finally does he is criticized… He tries many things but finally isolates himself so that he can enjoy making his song. There’s a sweet little solution to the story as well. Great message of: ‘be yourself’ coming through…

[Brianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was cute! I really liked the illustrations, along with Igor's character. He had a passion for music and in the end, he lived up to that passion. It teaches children to never give up on their dreams!

[Bottom Shelf Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://bottomshelfbooks.blogspot.com/...

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book cracks my kids up every time!

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Igor can't sing and doesn't fit in. Short, sweet, and preciously illustrated. Good for little ones.

[A · Rating 3 out of 5]

As spring begins and the birds begin their songs, Igor is horrified to learn that he can't carry a tune. Humorous picture book about individuality and being unique.

[Alexandria Hiam · Rating 3 out of 5]

As spring begins and the birds begin their songs, Igor is horrified to learn that he can't carry a tune. Humorous picture book about individuality and being unique.

[Varsha Seshan · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://www.varshaseshan.com/picture-b...