Little Birds: a collection of short stories

by Hannah Lee Kidder

This best-selling debut of short stories is a collection of glimpses into some of the darkest corners of our lives–the lies we tell ourselves, the ways we hurt others, the painful truths we pretend to face. Each story is a raw, unflinchingly human experience.Content Wolverine Frogs contains adult themes, sexual assault, and PTSD

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Contemporary, Queer, Collections, Gay, Anthologies

76 pages, Unknown Binding

First published November 1, 2018

Reviews

[Garrison Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

In her debut book, Hannah Lee Kidder’s stories are short, sweet, and to the point, but they pack the most powerful punches in their tiny spaces. Even stories that are only a sentence long are capable of tugging at the reader’s heartstrings with oftentimes brutal force. The subjects she touches on include rape, suicide, breakups, and elderly dementia to name a few. These topics aren’t there just to shock the reader; they have a purpose beyond that. You will be so in love with this book that you’ll wish it was longer.

My favorite short story in this book has to be Wolverine Frogs, the one that deals with the always raw subject of rape and the trauma afterwards. The main character wishes she could have claws like a wolverine frog so that she’ll be better equipped to fend off future attackers. She’s so traumatized that she’ll unleash such amphibian fury upon anybody who gets too close to her, innocent or not. This is such a realistic portrayal of psychological trauma that the trigger warning was absolutely necessary. As a reader, you want her to recover even though that’s not always a truthful outcome. You’re genuinely worried that she might do something to hurt herself in order to alleviate the pain. Wolverine Frogs is without a doubt the most heart-wrenching story in this collection.

My second favorite story in this book is Cane Sprouts, which tells the tale of a young New York lady who returns to her grandparents’ trailer near the Bayou. Again, realistic portrayals of the subject matter at hand are what you can expect. In this case, we’re dealing with elderly dementia. The grandpa mixes up names, gets lost in the middle of fields, wanders everywhere with a broken shotgun, and wakes up from naps in an even more confused state than when he’s already awake. This is heartbreaking to watch as this kind of behavior is usually the precursor to death. The main character’s guilt over not being able to see her grandparents as often as she can is palpable during these moments of elderly confusion. That’s what makes the story so believable and raw.

My third favorite story in this book could be considered micro-fiction seeing as how it’s only two to three pages long. But like I said in the intro, sometimes the shortest stories pack the biggest punches. Of course, the story I’m referring to is He Wrote Me a Song, which details the budding friendship between a nameless female high school student and another kid named RJ. She would always loan him pencils and he showed his gratitude by writing a beautiful song for her. Gratitude is a powerful thing, especially to people like RJ who’ve had it rough over the past few years with people looking their noses down at him. The smallest gestures can have the biggest impact. However, before the main characters’ friendship could blossom…well, let’s just say that your waterworks will be well deserved by the time this story is quickly over.

Some would argue that these stories rely too much on shock value to get their points across. I respectfully disagree with that assessment. These stories have a purpose and that is to be as real and honest as possible. The shocking conclusions are just a small part of the overall bigger picture. If someone in your life is hurting, be there for him or her. Show that person that you care and that everything will be okay in the end. You don’t really know what you’ve got until it’s gone. That’s what Little Birds means to me and that’s why it receives a passing grade.

[La Coccinelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read Kidder's Starlight last year, and enjoyed it more than I enjoy most short-story collections. Little Birds went on sale, so I snapped up a copy.

Here are my thoughts on the individual stories:

"Dear Emma"

Well, that's a dark way to start off a collection. Interesting flash fiction, though.
3 out of 5

"What Remains"

Another depressing sort of story, this time about a woman who likes to bury dead things in her yard. There's a reason, of course.
3 out of 5

"By the Window"

Two sentences. They say a lot.
3 out of 5

"Qui Vive"

Eh... okay. Ew. Whatever.
2 out of 5

"He Wrote Me a Song"

Unnecessarily sad. Sometimes I'm not sure whether people write these sorts of stories just for shock value, or what.
3 out of 5

"An Envelope"

That was anticlimactic. And now I don't like the main character.
2.5 out of 5

"Crop Stet"

This "story" is one awkwardly worded sentence. I have no idea what the title means.
2 out of 5

"Winnow"

This feels both too long and incomplete. We get the overall idea of what's going on pretty early, but then nothing ever really comes of it; the basic premise is just reinforced.
2.5 out of 5

"Ignorance"

Deep. Short. What more is there to say? (This review is four words longer than the story.)
3.5 out of 5

"Wolverine Frogs"

Dark and disturbing. Well written, though.
3 out of 5

"Little Birds"

I don't know if this is from the point of view of a stalker or an ex (who's just acting like a stalker). But it makes me wonder all sorts of things that I'm not sure if I'm supposed to wonder about. Am I overthinking it? I never know with literary fiction.
3 out of 5

"Green"

Another boring snippet. To be honest, I don't think I'd call some of these "stories"; they don't have a beginning, middle, and end. Many of them have a theme of leaving... and this is no exception.
2.5 out of 5

"Cane Sprouts"

By far the longest story in the book, "Cane Sprouts" is a snapshot of a family living on the edge of the bayou. The grandfather is sick, and two grandchildren have come back to visit. They go fishing. That's about it. I was a bit distracted in this one with some of the grammar slip-ups and continuity problems (at one point, it's implied that the narrator somehow peels an orange with one hand; either that, or she's got three hands).
3 out of 5


Little Birds is an okay collection, but I can really see the growth between what's included here and what's included in Starlight. Some of these stories are super short, and while there's nothing wrong with that in and of itself, it kind of makes for an imbalanced collection when the final story takes up a full 40% of the book. I'm really not a fan of adult contemporary/literary fiction; it's not escapist enough for me. So, overall, I enjoyed Starlight, with its fantasy and horror vibes, far more.

That said, I would still recommend Little Birds to the right audience. If you like adult contemporary short fiction with heavy themes, try Little Birds. If you prefer fantasy and/or horror short fiction with heavy themes, you might enjoy Starlight more.

[Jill Keller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Back in college, I loved to write and read short stories. I had a passion for them. And then suddenly...I didn't. They were replaced by "I only want to read novels. Not novellas, not shorts, but full-length novels." I forgot why I ever loved them in the first place.
Little Birds grabbed me from the very first story, Dear Emma, and dragged me back to that time where I absolutely loved short stories. The journey through this book awoke that passion in me again and I found myself not being able to stop reading. Each story is so different, yet at the conclusion of each, I still couldn't put it down. I read the whole book in one long sitting.
Each story was emotion-provoking, deeply impactful, and there wasn't a single one that missed the mark. I had my favorites (Dear Emma, Cane Sprouts, He Wrote Me A Song, Wolverine Frogs) but each one was great. The amount of detail and the voice was perfect.
Highly recommend this read!

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't usually give five star ratings unless a book touched me in a profound way. This collection of short stories was amazing and deserving of every single one of those stars. From the moment I read the first line of the first story to reading the last line, I was hooked. Every story had it's own way of making you think, no matter the length of the work, which is exactly what I strive to find when reading any book. I found myself re-reading some of the stories even before moving on to the next one as each story had some line that really struck with me. My favourite of the collection was "Ignorance" as it really resonated with me. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone. You won't be disappointed. I look forward to reading more of Hannah's work and seeing all the success she is deserving of receiving.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick, easy read, however most of the stories are easily forgettable and seem to rely on shock value. There's nothing spectacular about the writing, but it does the job it's supposed to do, which is tell stories. I like the varying lengths of the short stories, some being a couple pages, and others being merely a sentence. Not an altogether unpleasant collection though.

[Lex 🖤✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to admit, I don’t usually read a lot of short stories, but I did enjoy Little Birds very much. The stories Hannah told were gripping, realistic and moving. Even if they were small, the stories in Little Birds were like a punch to the gut, a string tugging at my heart. This is a wonderful short story collection and I can’t wait to see what else Hannah has to write.

[Laura Beauvoir · Rating 2 out of 5]

The blurb says these stories explore the “darkest corners of our lives.” And I guess 4 are about really dark topics, but most of them were more melancholy than dark.
And even some of the four darkest stories still felt mostly melancholy to me due to how they’re approached.

From this blurb I’d expect more corrupt protagonists, manipulation, grief, rage, I would expect something that would really evoke emotions out of me.
Now most of these stories still deal with grief over a loss so I guess it did accomplish that expectation; however, most of these characters seemed to deal with grief through distractions or checking out and becoming indifferent to their own lives which resulted in me mirroring their feeling and becoming indifferent to their story.

To be honest some of these stories followed characters that are more boring than the average person’s day to day life… which means they probably don’t deserve to be a protagonist.

Now if you want a quiet melancholy book, then this is the collection for you, but when I read short stories I want to feel something. Like a couple melancholy stories is okay, but all of them being melancholy is boring.

Short stories can’t spend as much time developing a complex plot and the world, but they are perfectly capable of creating compelling characters and delivering an emotional punch. In fact, that’s the beauty of them!

However, while several of the stories did achieve that punch at the end the protagonist of each story all felt samey to me.
The protagonist all seemed to be quiet people living in the past, and while that’d be fine for one story, the sameness of them resulted in the stories all blending together.

Three of the protagonist were longing over exes, and two had a weird thing with roadkill, which isn’t a big deal, but when every protagonist has the same quiet demeaner it’s hard to differentiate them. And also getting dumped isn’t one of the “darkest corners of our lives” or at least not enough to warrant that many stories in a collection advertised to be exploring this.
Four of the thirteen stories were about characters moving on from a break-up and while the first added a unique layer to the grief it was still repetitive.
However, I will admit An Envelope was one of those break-up stories and it was probably my two favorite stories.

I think part of why these stories felt so samey to me was that Kidder’s writing style was very simple and didn’t vary character to character.
The writing was fine, it respected the reader’s intelligence and never outright told us how a character felt or told us what to think of them of whether or not they were a good person. Instead the writing gave enough clues through the character’s thoughts and actions to allow the reader to understand them.
I think An Envelope did this the best.
However, while this aspect of the writing being repeated was fine, the character all had very similar voices in my opinion. Again, they were all quiet unassuming people living in the past, which can work for some stories, but is repetitive for a collection.

The story that actually evoked the most emotion in me was the last one Cane Sprouts. It was more hopeful at the end and was a good choice for a final story. I think after reading so many hopeless melancholy stories it really stood out and was a nice change of pace.

Despite my critiques I don’t want you to think these stories were bad, because I don’t think they were.
The stories Dear Emma, and He Wrote Me a Song had strong punches to the gut at the end while the stories An Envelope and Cane Sprouts has satisfying book ends that tied up each story in a nice bow. Wolverine Frog had bookends too, but that story was more depressing than satisfying.
Which the An Envelope and Cane Sprouts two stories were my favorites, to be honest the other three stories I just mentioned while good didn’t really get me personally. I still appreciate them though.
However, some of the stories were kind of bland to me.
Especially Winnow. That story felt like I was just following a character who wasn’t interesting enough to warrant a story for a random segment of her life that did not feel like it was really conveying anything. When it ended it felt more like the author got bored of following the character around because the story didn’t have an ending because it wasn’t a story, but random scenes from a boring depressed lady’s life.
Winnow best demonstrates the flaw some of these stories had which is that it felt like a random cluster of scenes taken from a longer story as opposed to feeling like a completed story. Cane Sprouts even gave me that vibe some, and I said it was one of my top stories.
However, I even had issues with the stories that did end with a shock, because those stories felt like all they had was a shock. Twists are great, but when I don’t care about the characters or their situation the only thing, they really evoke out of me is a “wow that was a pretty good idea for a short story.” Also, notice I said idea for a short story and not execution of a short story.

Also, this won’t effect my rating, because this is probably my personal bias, but there are three two sentence stories in this collection, and none of them did anything for me.
I’m not going to recite them all, but the first one was:
“I don’t sleep. If I wait up long enough, you might come home.”
Which honestly, it’s hard to make two sentence revolutionary, but it read like insta-poetry for me and I don’t think I’d ever pay to read this when there’s almost identical poetry everywhere on Instagram.
However, since flash fiction isn’t my thing, I’m not letting these stories affect my rating, but if it’s also not your thing you should go into this assuming it’ll be 10 stories and not 13.

Also, while some of these stories did feel like they had a clear theme or message that I personally thought was conveyed effectively others felt aimless, had a trite message, or had the same theme or message as multiple other stories.
12 of the 13 stories in this collection focused on someone living in the past, and it’s uninspiring the 12th time. I get that what they were clinging to varied, and how they clung to it sometimes varied (usually not though) but reading about 12 different boring people cling to the past doesn’t peak my interest.

I think the best way to summarize my feelings towards Little Birds is that while overall the individual stories were well written, I didn’t like them all together as a collection. If I read one of these stories in their original magazine they were published in where a variety of authors were published I probably would’ve enjoyed them more. Now some of the stories I still would have enjoyed more than others, but overall even the ones that I enjoyed less probably would’ve left more of an impact outside of this collection.
I think my problem is I don’t think these stories are that great together as a collection. They all feel too repetitive and samey, making the overall reading experience meh. I read this collection all at once, but I think the better way to read this would be to spread out when you read each story.

I don’t mean to sound harsh. I think each individual story demonstrates skill and maturity in Kidder’s writing, but I think the curation of the collection was lacking. And for me personally, I don’t know if I find Kidder’s writing interesting or varied enough to want a whole collection of her stories.

[Louise Willingham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark, grim, dramatic. I love this little connection and the messy, damaged characters within the book. It's not a light read, but I enjoyed sitting in the sun and getting lost for a few minutes in the moments and stories.

[A.P. Mobley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not usually one for contemporary works, nor am I usually one who reads short stories/short story collections. So believe me when I say that even if this isn't usually your jam, it's still definitely worth picking up.

It's clear that there was a lot of thought put into the placement of each story, and in their pictures, which are beautiful. Each story left me feeling in a way that's hard to explain. It was almost like I was being taken back in time to many of the times I felt similarly/had similar experiences to the characters in this collection. They were all extremely well-written, and I related SO MUCH to many of the themes portrayed in them, that it was hard not to just be sucked in and brought back to those moments in my life. Granted, I've related to characters and their experiences before, but I'm not sure I've felt it in such an intense way as I did with these stories.

It seems that Kidder has already established a lot of credibility for herself, and this publication will surely only add to that credibility. She knows how to say A LOT in very few words. I'm still left thinking about these stories, especially "He Wrote Me a Song". Bravo.

[Steven Partridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. That being said, I bought a copy anyway, because I liked it that much.

Little birds is an anthology; a collection of short stories, poems, and proverbs. I follow the author on YouTube, which is how I originally found out it was a thing. I had applied for an ARC, and after reading the first few pages, I realized this was not my usual read at all. It's a contemporary slice-of-life sort of book, with the premier feature being very special and localized perspectives on the events. The book spans a broad range of emotions, and I loved going along for the ride. It was truly mesmerizing, and I finished the book in just one sitting!

The depth of character, diversity of personalities and perspectives, and the personal way the stories resonated with me had me floored. I went through and read it a second time the next day, and I find myself continually coming back to it, because it's weirdly addictive and engaging. I really loved this book, and I recommend anyone who reads this to give it a shot, even if it's not your typical cup of tea.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not a huge short story person. I like exposition, chapters full of backstory, multiple plot lines all co-mingling in a giant pot of plot spaghetti. I like certain endings, perfect packages of story all wrapped up neatly. I like epilogues that go on for pages and pages. These are not things you normally get with short stories, but this book is full of such wonderful little slices of life that I couldn't help but love it. Wolverine Frogs was probably my favorite story because it's just a bit too real. I also particularly loved Cane Sprouts, which was the best possible ending for this collection. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read about the complexity of friendship, family, and finding oneself.

[Unwanted_Book _Club · Rating 5 out of 5]

Usually I'm not big on short stories but these impressed me. The writing style was so descriptive yet simplistic. The characters known for only a short while meant to create an impact did just that. Simple things that are normally overlooked were meant to draw attention not just for worldbuilding but to relate to the character's situation and psyche. Something as simple as an empty and dark room to point out how forlorn they feel. Or wolverine frog facts intermittent in revealing how animalistic one might feel about themselves and the scenario. Bravo and well done. This piece is a work of art.

[Chasmin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was lunch

I came across this book after discovering her YouTube channel, in which she promoted her it in some of her videos, as she should. I write short stories myself, and am always excited to find collections that are easily digestible. Little Birds definitely was that, as I consumed this book of shorties in one sitting — basically, almost, kinda... All in all, I really enjoyed the stories in Little Birds, especially when there’s simplicity and cadence throughout, even when talking about death. I’ve even read a few of the stories multiple times, so hats off to the author, Hannah Lee Kidder.

[Casey Gibson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of short stories is an introspective look at relationships - romantic, platonic, familial - and how once strong bonds can change, both over time and in an instant. I loved the melancholy emotion that seemed to permeate each story, causing me to look back at my own relationships and consider. If you've ever lost anybody, then this collection of short stories will resonate and stay with you.

[Krystal Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is like a roller coaster ride in an abandoned park at night: sharp turns you don't see coming, steep climbs and breathtaking drops with no guarantee that the tracks continue on, and a large possibility it's gonna hurt a bit. It's raw and real and relatable in every sentence, with exceptional description and dialogue. I would not hesitate to get back in line for this ride.

[DeAnn Pohlman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of short stories seriously sucks you in. With relatable characters and real-life situations, Hannah hits on the heavy stuff in an almost poetic fashion. I honestly had goosebumps while reading this. It's a quick read and kind of a tear-jerker. I can't wait to read more of her work!

[Alexandria Prosperie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pulling you in from the first page, Hannah Lee Kidder writes with such purpose you can’t help but be enthralled. Each story has a new gripping character who highlights the raw—sometimes ugly—side of humanity. She writes with a sincerity that’s unable to be replicated, and though the stories are short, the impact they have on the reader with be long-lived.

[Catherine Streeter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hannah is so good at writing short stories that pack a reaaaal good emotional punch. Also I can never quite guess where her stories are headed which is my favorite. Anyway this book will make you feel a lot of things and it’s such a quick, easy read—I HIGHLY recommend it.

[Sarah Calaway · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hannah is amazing at writing short pieces that leaving emotions lingering. Each piece in this collection packs a unique punch, and I didn’t want to stop reading. Her writing style is not only very addicting, but it’s very powerful. It’s a pretty quick read that you won’t regret.

[Janine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first heard of Hannah Lee Kidder’s collection of short stories from Jenna Moreci’s channel in 2018 and picked up this little collection and read them in about an hour. The lengths vary from two sentences to twenty pages, though most are just a couple of pages. They are all contemporary tales, and collected from various prompts and submissions dealing with various topics. While the writing styles do vary a bit, they aren’t too hard to read and almost all of them had a twist at the end, a good sign of a good short story. My favorite was “Wolverine Frogs”, though it does touch on sensitive topics, but there’s raw and unchained emotions in there that will stay with me for a long time. If you’re looking for a short, yet impactful read, this is a great pick.

[Cat Bowser · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m expanding to explore some more short story collections and this one has been on my radar for a while. I was happy to finally give it a try.

The stories in here are all written well. I enjoyed the voice in each one and there were just enough details to catch my attention but not paint the picture for me. I find those to be the best kind of books.

I will say, I think a themed short story collection works best and I really couldn’t settle on a common theme amid these stories. Rather, it’s just a collection of random but well written tales. I think an overarching theme would have improved it.

That said though, this is definitely worth your time. It’s a quick but fun read and the voice of the author is certainly worthy of future attention!

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worth the read

Edit: Okay, so, here's the truth. I bought the ebook because i lost the real copy lmao

But! It did force me to write a review after i read it on my kindle, so, there's that.

Little Birds is a collection of short stories, and you know what it did? It made me feel something. I have favorites, of course, and others that weren't favorites. But, anyway, it did its job all right. I freakin adored this book. I had no idea short stories could be as impactful as novels...it sort of inspired me to write my own! Flex my abilities, gain more experience, and all that good stuff. Hannah, you did so well, you should be proud.

Please, take the time to look into this. it's good. you wont be disappointed.

[Vinicius Morais de Souza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most of the stories are gut-punching, and it's the sweetest gut-beating you'll get.

[Marie Lipscomb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful!

What a beautiful book! Poetic, dark, and incredibly addictive. I didn't intend to read the whole thing in one sitting, but once I started I couldn't put it down.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I said "oof" outloud probably 3 or 4 times reading this. This was my first proper dip into very short fiction as an adult reader, and it's left me wanting more. Each story felt less like I was reading and more like someone I know was telling their own story, so that was pretty cool to experience.

[Jessica Burrows · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to come!

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring

I picked up this book to learn more about how to write short stories and it didn't disappoint. Each story kept me interested and I love the writing style.

[Amanda Ebner · Rating 4 out of 5]

A definite interesting read. I wasn’t too into it because I’m not much of a short story person, but it’s competently written and interesting. It’s not too long a read either.

[Nathan Fehr · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not one to read short stories or have much interest in short fiction, but this book certainly changed that. I really enjoyed the writing style and choices of words; the author's imagery is excellent. I even reread most stories three or four times because I'd get more out of it each time, going "ohhh" every few minutes. Highly recommend this book, I'll be keeping an eye out for her next release and pre-ordering if I can!

[Rowan Liddell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kidder has a gift for crafting emotional journeys that take up less than a page. Haunting is one word I'd use for her shorts. Other words I'd use to describe her work: nostalgic, symbolic, timeless, and beautiful. I found myself gasping at each page. These are the types of stories students should be reading to learn from. As someone who needs about 20 pages to get to my desired point, this collection is intimidating and incredible. This kind of talent is #goals