Elevator Bird

by Sarah Williamson

Kids and their parents will love this quirky story about kindness, friendship, and a team coming together to make one bird's dream come true...

It takes a strong team to keep the Hotel running smoothly, and Elevator Bird is at the center of it all.

He helps guests get to their rooms and gives great advice about all the best sights in town. He helps the staff get where they need to go, and always has an encouraging word. Elevator Bird makes everyone's day brighter.

So when he confesses to his friend Mousie that he's always longed for a room with a view, Mousie springs into action. All his friends at the Hotel hatch a marvelous plan to make sure Elevator Bird has the nest he deserves.

Sarah Williamson spins a charming tale of friends working together to make a dream come true.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Friendship, Childrens, Birds, Humor, Fiction

40 pages, Hardcover

First published November 24, 2020

About the author

Sarah Williamson was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She studied political philosophy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and illustration at Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles. Shortly after graduating from Art Center she moved to New York to pursue illustration. She has done many illustrations for the New York Times among other clients and also fills in at the New York Times as a freelance art director. Follow her on Instagram at @sarahewilliamson or find her online at www.sarahwilliamson.com.

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elevator Bird is a very hard worker at his very important job-- he's the animal you need to help you get to any floor of the hotel! He's a very busy and kind feathered friend, and the whole staff agrees. When one of them overhears Elevator Bird's wish for a room with a view, the whole hotel decides to celebrate him and make his dream come true! Elevator Bird is a sweet, lighthearted story of friendship and appreciation that will give you warm fuzzies.

[Westminster Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet story about friendship and teamwork. It takes a team to run a hotel and bird does everything for everyone with a kind and generous heart. His friends surprise him with a secret wish! Fun, colorful and a great lesson on serving others.

Find Elevator Bird at the Westminster Public Library today!

And if you are in search of new books to read, try our services, What Do I Read Next. Our library staff are standing by to create a personalized recommendation list for you!

[Shaye Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first glance, this colorful picture book appeared to be a nonfiction book on how a hotel operates -- particularly all the many hands needed to make it a success. However, just a few pages in we learn that Elevator Bird feels something is missing. So the rest of the team comes together and works hard to make his dream a reality, in secret. The illustrations for this book were created using gouache paint and pastels.

For more children's literature, middle grade literature, and YA literature reviews, feel free to visit my personal blog at The Miller Memo!!

[Kristin Guay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book because it really highlighted kindness and compassion for others. In this story the reader is introduced to a hotel that is run completely by animals. All the animals, including a flamingo, giraffe dog, mouse, and worm, and many others, all have very specific duties in the hotel. Elevator Bird’s job is strictly to run the elevator and he takes his job very seriously. He is also very kind and considerate of others during his job. He offers dining suggestions, helps the others with their jobs, compliments others on their appearance or a job well done, and is just simply there wherever he is needed. Every evening, Elevator Bird returns to his home that he shares with Mouse. His home is in the damp and noisy basement and Elevator Bird wishes for something a little nicer, preferably where he can see the twinkling lights of the city. Mouse shares this wish with the others and they begin planning a surprise for their friend. The next day, all the animals are going up and down the stairs with supplies (they are taking the stairs to avoid the elevator and keep the surprise from Elevator Bird). At the end of the day, the animal friends surprise Elevator Bird with a beautiful rooftop home where he can see the lights of the city every night. This is a great story to show friends coming together to do something special for someone else.

I think the illustrations in this story will really appeal to young children. They are very vivid and colorful and feature cute little details on every page. I especially liked the picture where it shows all the supplies they are using to create Elevator Bird’s new home. I think this would be fun to look at with a young child and maybe come up with some guesses as to what they are making.

This story is perfect for children between the ages of four and six years old. It would be a great tool for discussion friendship and what children can do to help others. Some pages have a considerable amount of text, so that would be better suited for older readers.

[Sandy Brehl · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's not at all unusual to have animals take on human roles and traits in picture books, but this book "lifts" that approach into unusual territory. With various animals as the workers and guests in a high-rise hotel, the elevator plays a pivotal role. Bird operates that elevator, well-dressed in hat and tue, using a small branch to push the buttons while perched on a corner stool.
Everyone appreciates kind and helpful bird, as readers will, too. Each page provides an opportunity to see the many roles needed to operate a hotel, with various services often well-suited to the particular animals doing that job. The fact that worms carry the luggage continue to crack me up as I type this, as well as subtly inserted wordplay. When Bird is not working hard and helping one and all, its residence is in the lower level, the dark basement of the hotel. Mousey overhears casual wish to have a view of the city and see the night sky after a day of work, which launches a chain reaction of kindness.
Truly, this is appealing on the most basic level: animals, colors, action-filled and labeled pages, and simple text. Beyond that, it opens discussion about work-families, service employees, and the value of empathy and friendship.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I've never been in a hotel run by animals, young readers will be charmed by the idea of such a thing as well as the fact that the elevator is operated by a friendly Elevator Bird. I'm not sure if there are even elevator operators in today's mechanized world, but this bit of nostalgia might spark conversations about that. Elevator Bird is friendly, polite, and always helpful, and the other animals take note of his behavior. He has a room in the basement but longs to be able to see the night sky and bright lights of the city at the end of the day, something that his friend Mousie shares with the other animals. They plan a surprise for him and move all his belongings to the roof of the hotel, giving him a nice room with a view. Youngsters will be struck by the kindness of Elevator Bird's friends, but they also may wonder what he'll do when bad weather and cold temperatures arrive. With its illustrations created with gouache paint and pastels and its thoughtful animals, this picture book brings to mind A Sick Day for Amos McGee. It also reminds readers that while some jobs might seem unimportant, the way they approach a job can make all the difference in the world.

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

See my full review here: https://www.yabookscentral.com/kidsfi...

ELEVATOR BIRD is a cute picture book about making your friends' dreams come true. Elevator Bird is an essential part of the hotel, running the elevator and helping all the customers along the way. He lives in the basement, and when he expresses his wish to be able to see out over the city, his friends decide to make it happen, building him a new bedroom on the roof.

What I loved: This is a simple story of kindness and working together to make someone else's dream come true. It's a straight-forward but lovely story. The many animals that run the hotel all have a fun little feature, and there are some little funny tidbits here and there (like Randy getting and eating the candy!). The main themes of friendship and kindness really shine through and make for a heartwarming and sweet story.

Final verdict: ELEVATOR BIRD is a sweet picture book about friendship and making other's dreams come true. Highly recommend for animal lovers who enjoy an uplifting and simple story.

Please note that I received an ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Elevator Bird's job at the hotel is to ferry passengers up and down in the elevator. He works with an interesting group of coworkers such as Raffi, the Maintenance giraffe and Ally, the hostess flamingo. Elevator Bird really enjoys his job and working for the hotel, but he wishes his room had a view. He currently lives in the basement with no windows. When his roommate Mousey learns this, he informs Mr. Rumpley the hotel manager who insists that everyone help create a new living space for Elevator Birds.

The story means well but there are a couple of problems. First, many of the pictures are so busy with activity there is just too much going on to focus on the story. Second, all of the characters have names such as Jane, Olivia, Esther,etc, but Elevator Bird and the porter worms don't. Why?

Not recommended for storytime. Too distracting.

[lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I originally bought this book for my 2 year old since she loves animal stories; however, it has found a home in my 5 year old's bookshelf. From an educational perspective, it aligns perfectly with a lot of the themes that he's been learning about in kindergarten: characters, settings, prepositions, and of course being thoughtful and empathetic. From his point of view, he was excited to recognize the worms from Where are you?, learn the names of the animals, and liked following along to learn about what the big plan was for Elevator Bird. I love having books that will grow with children's life stages.

[Kate Atherton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has some great characters, a nice little Richard Scarry-type community that populates this sweet, pastel-colored hotel. The main plot is that of an elevator bird who works far too hard for everyone else with no wish of reward and who lives in the basement with the pipes and wishes to see the sky. A bit odd that the elevator bird and janitor mouse are forced to live in the basement...did they ever ask for another room? Well, all of that Is solved, seemingly without any asking or complaining. Definitely more intricate of a plot and set of characters than I was expecting, and a very funny conclusion.

[Michael Dipietro · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I'm no expert on children's books, I love Williamson's quirky style of storytelling and illustration, which is a lively one for children with many engaging details to notice on every page. There's often a magical transformation in her books which leaves a satisfying sense of wonder and possibility at the end - in this book, there's the added dimension of a community coming together to surprise a beloved friend as well. I've given this to several friends with young children aged 2-5, and they all reported back enthusiastically that their kids loved it.

[Flossmoor Public Library (IL) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

This is a cute book about helping out a hardworking friend and showing them the appreciation, they deserve. Elevator Bird longs for a room of his own with the views of the city he loves. He knows all about the best places for site seeing and he goes above and beyond to share his knowledge with his guests. Elevator Bird told his friend Mousie that he always wanted a room with a view. Mousie and his friends decide to give Elevator Bird exactly what he wants and more. Cute book about appreciation, friendship and making dreams come true.

- Miss Jenny

[Arpine Ter-galstanyan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elevator Bird is a wonderful story about kindness and compassion. I especially love the illustrations, they show how each animal has a different job to make the hotel run. Elevator Bird has such a pivotal role in making sure guests are happy and taken car of, it's such a delight to see him get the same treatment from his friends.

[Lori B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great, fun book about kindness and giving told through a fun party of animals! I loved this book and all the detailed illustrations. You can see something new every time you read this book. Highly recommended!

[Adam Weinstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a smart, charming and witty book about friendship, teamwork and living out your dreams. Fantastic character development with some of the most whimsical illustrations I’ve ever seen. My kids adore this book (me too).

[Kerry Hyatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful story with fun characters and a lovely message of caring and friendship. Love the illustrations! Made a point to buy a copy for each of my friends with young kids :) it’s become a favorite of theirs and is on heavy rotation in their households.

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like many other readers, I adored this book, this author/illustrator's previous three picture books were wonderful as well. Her latest offering only serves to add to my admiration for her and her work. The characters are all so unique, Mr. Rumpley's style is perfection ❤️

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

A whole bunch of animals work at a hotel. It's elevator Bird's job to – you guessed it- man the elevator. He always has a kind word for his coworkers. But he never has timed to see what he wants to see. charming and delightful.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cooperation, friendship, and kindness keeps things running smoothly at the Elevator Bird's hotel.

[Lisa D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Too cute!

[Alicia Friedman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author has captured my granddaughters heart with bright colorful illustrations and whimsical characters!
Elevator Bird is no exception. Wonderful storyline of kindness and working together.

[Euge · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Elevator Bird' is a delightful book willed with charming characters! The colorful and quirky illustrations draw you into a lovely story for everyone to enjoy. :)

[Pinky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mr. Rumpley and other hotel staff make a room with a view for their friend Elevator Bird.

[Jj · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was kind of a strange one, but for whatever reason I found myself really enjoying it. I think it's the kind of weird and fun book kids will like, too.

[Tracy Bugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Took a gamble and ordered 2 copies so I'd have a gift at the ready. Glad I did. Love that Elevator Bird includes a couple of recurring characters from the author's first book. So cute!

[Chance Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very sweet story about a utopian hotel where everyone is nice to each other.

[Alicia Evans · Rating 2 out of 5]

For: animal lovers; readers looking for a quirky book about friendship.

Possible red flags: working environments; living in the basement/mechanical room at work.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet story, but there are way more characters than necessary for this story arc. Would appeal to the youngest readers, I think.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

My toddlers have endless fun identifying the objects and animals in this sweet tale about working together.

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A group of animals working in a hotel help a friend find a new view on life. Elementary and up