Barnaby

by Andrea Curtis, Kass Reich

A vain blue budgie flies the coop only to find that there's no place like home

Barnaby is a blue budgie who’s got it all: a golden cage, bells to jingle-jangle, and an owner who gives him all the snacks and attention he wants. Until his owner brings home a “friend” for Barnaby: a little yellow canary.

Barnaby is not happy. When his tantrums don’t convince his owner to get rid of the canary, Barnaby flies away and ends up hopelessly lost. While stopping for a rest, he encounters a flock of wild sparrows. At first, he looks down his beak at the drab, brown birds. But, growing hungrier and thirstier, he realizes he has a lot to learn from them.

Soon Barnaby is a part of their flock, scavenging for seeds and riding on the wind. But Barnaby can’t forget his former home, and every night he searches for his owner’s house using tricks the sparrows taught him. Finally, he finds it, and Barnaby returns home a changed bird. With subtle messages about sibling rivalry and jealousy, readers will enjoy Barnaby’s antics and the sweet conclusion to this story.

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

Unknown Binding

First published April 15, 2021

About the author

Andrea Curtis is an award-winning writer in Toronto whose books have been published around the world. She writes for both adults and children.

Her most recent kids' books are Barnaby (Owlkids) and City of Water (Groundwood). She is also the author of A Forest in the City (Groundwood), Eat This! How Fast Food Marketing Gets You to Buy Junk (and How to Fight Back) and What's for Lunch? from Red Deer Press.

Her first YA novel is Big Water, published by Orca. It's inspired by the true story of a shipwreck on Georgian Bay, Lake Huron, and the harrowing experience of the two teenaged survivors.

Her most recent adult book, written with Nick Saul, is the National Bestseller, The Stop: How the Fight for Good Food Transformed a Community and Inspired a Movement. It is published by Random House Canada and Melville House Press in the US and UK. It was shortlisted for the Toronto Book Award and won the Taste Canada Award for Culinary Narratives.

Andrea's critically acclaimed creative nonfiction book Into the Blue: Family Secrets and the Search for a Great Lakes Shipwreck (Random House) won the Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction.

Andrea lives in Toronto, Canada, with her family.

Reviews

[April Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Barnaby is a blue budgie who really has it made- a lovely cage with a jingly bell, plenty to eat, and an owner who loves him, and lets him sit on her shoulder for cuddles. When the owner brings home a "friend" for Barnaby, a yellow canary, Barnaby is not happy. He throws tantrums, he ignores the canary, and is mean to it. When his obvious displeasure fails to convince his owner to get rid of this interloper, Barnaby makes a break for it and flies out the window. At first he enjoys his freedom, being able to fly where he wants, but soon he is lost and hungry, and doesn't know what to do. He encounters some sparrows when he stops to rest, and at first is wary of these drab birds, but they show him kindness by sharing their food and showing him where to find water, and soon his is welcomed in their flock. He learns many things from them, most importantly a better way to search for his house, which he misses very much. When he does find his home, he bring a big red berry to the canary, like the ones the sparrows shared with him. The story is sweet, and is an easily recognizable metaphor for a child having to deal with the emotional stress of a new sibling. It also works well just as it is- I've seen a beloved pet African Grey parrot go completely meltdown toddler when a new "friend" parrot was introduced to the household! He was not happy at all! The illustrations are soft and beautiful, and the text is just lovely. Recommended.

#Barnaby #NetGalley

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barnaby is a blue budgie who is living the life. He has a lovely cage with a jingly bell, plenty to eat, and an owner who loves him. He loves to sit on her shoulder for cuddles. When she brings home a canary as a friend for Barnaby, he is not happy. When his owner doesn't get rid of this "friend" despite, Barnaby throwing tantrums, he decides to leave and escapes out of an open window. He enjoys his freedom flying wherever he wants, but soon becomes hungry and wants to go home. He runs into some sparrows, who although drab in Barnaby's eyes, they take him in. They show him where to find food and water and show him how to search for his home. When he finally find his home, he brings a big red berry to the canary, just like the ones the sparrows shared with him. He finally accepts this new friend. This is a sweet story about acceptance of another. For children this could be a new sibling, a new neighbour or classmate that moves into their playgroup or "steals" their BFF. It also has that "grass is always greener" message as well. The illustrations are large, showing emotion with their soft and muted colours. My grandchildren and I talked about this and how did it feel when a new brother or sister came home with mommy and daddy. Of course they were sure they weren't upset at all, but I know better. A story I recommend.

[Margo Tanenbaum · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't really like keeping birds in cages as pets so when I realized what this was about I started out with a negative attitude reading it. However, it is such a lovely story that it really turned me around. A blue budgie named Barnaby lives a good life with his owner in a gold cage with lots of toys, good food, and a kind owner who lets him out every day to fly around her house. However, when she brings home a yellow friend for him, Barnaby is NOT happy and literally flies out the window when he has an opportunity. After many adventures, with other birds who wind up treating him kindly (probably wouldn't happen in nature, but it's a book for kids), he manages to find his way home, where he predictably changes his mind about his yellow companion. Definitely a "there's no place like home" theme with also themes of friendship, jealousy, and acceptance. Beautiful illustrations.

[Andrea Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful little story about making friends and appreciating home and loved ones. The artwork is adorable and soothing even when the story gets a bit sad. This would be a great gift to bird lovers even if not young. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC to review!

[Cheriee Weichel · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to see images from this book, please check out my blog post at https://dickenslibrary.blogspot.com/2...

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. It was released April 15, 2021 by Owlkids Books.

Barnaby, a beautiful blue budgie, lives with a nice lady who feeds him "sunflower seeds and sweet mangos." He spends most of his time in a golden cage with activities there to entertain him. When the nice lady gets home, he is released from his cage to fly about the house. Barnaby enjoys his treats and "nuzzling his feathers against her neck."

Life seems sublime, but then the nice lady brings home a yellow budgie to be a friend for Barnaby. Barnaby is not impressed. He acts out and is punished. When he is next allowed out of his cage, Barnaby flies out the window.

Out in the wide world Barnaby ends up lost. Luckily he is befriended by a flock of birds who show him how to survive in the wild. He learns to be less self centered and begins to see beauty in the world around him.

Still, he did not forget his kind lady and continued to search for his old home.

At first I saw Barnaby's reaction to the new budgie as something akin to the jealousy of an older sibling when a new baby enters the family. On the surface, it certainly seems like that. The behaviour parallels are genuine. Like in families, after a few initial issues, older children learn to love their baby siblings.

The thing is, I had a hard time with the fact that Barnaby was in a cage. I can't imagine keeping a dog or cat inside a cage while I am at work. Even the guinea pig we once owned had free range of our house. My discomfort lingered days after I finished reading this book. No matter how gilded it was, or how kind the lady was, it was still a cage. What if Barnaby wasn't so much upset at having a new sibling, as he was at having this new bird also kept in a cage? Barnaby's escape, and the help he had from a community of birds to live with that freedom, feels like an important message to me about how we humans can help each other get out of our own cages.

I liked this book a lot. I like that it made me think much more than I expected it to. I like that Barnaby grew and developed to become a better 'person' through his adventures. I like that the ending leaves me wondering what Barnaby is planning. I like that I'm left with all kinds of questions about what home and freedom mean.

I loved Kass Reich's artwork. It is serenely beautiful. I can imagine hanging a print or two on my walls. I searched the internet to find out more about her process. Here is what I learned: "She does a majority of her work by hand using acrylic and watercolour paint, adding further details in Photoshop. She makes a point to preserve all the charming imperfections that come with illustration done by hand. she works primarily with graphite, colored pencils and gouache." She states, "I use graphite for work in grayscale and gouache paint layered with colored pencil for my work in color. The more texture the better!"

I hope all readers find this picture book as fascinating as I did. I sure wish I had a group of students to read this with.

[Sharon Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barnaby by Andrea Curtis is a picturebook currently scheduled for release on April 15 2021. Barnaby is a blue budgie who’s got it all: a golden cage, bells to jingle-jangle, and an owner who gives him all the snacks and attention he wants. Until his owner brings home a “friend” for Barnaby: a little yellow canary. Barnaby is not happy. When his tantrums don’t convince his owner to get rid of the canary, Barnaby flies away and ends up hopelessly lost. While stopping for a rest, he encounters a flock of wild sparrows. At first, he looks down his beak at the drab, brown birds. But, growing hungrier and thirstier, he realizes he has a lot to learn from them. Soon Barnaby is a part of their flock, scavenging for seeds and riding on the wind. But Barnaby can’t forget his former home, and every night he searches for his owner’s house using tricks the sparrows taught him. Finally, he finds it, and Barnaby returns home a changed bird. With subtle messages about sibling rivalry and jealousy, readers will enjoy Barnaby’s antics and the sweet conclusion to this story.

Barnaby is a well written picturebook on several levels. On the surface it is about a bird having an adventure after not liking changes in his home. But it is also about jealousy, giving others a chance, and adapting to change. I loved the art work- and think the style and colors were exactly what the story needed. It was also enjoyable to look on its on merit, not jut as part of a story. Combined with the words the two come together to tell a larger story than either could alone. I think this book is a lovely read, and that many adults and young readers will enjoy it. It could also be used to start discussions about sharing, sibling rivalry, and other changes in school or family dynamic that introduce new people to a group.

[Storytime With Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

When a small blue budgie needs to make room for a new bird to join his little flock, things don’t go so well. Barnaby, by Andrea Curtis and Kass Reich, is a lovely little story about making room for new friends.

When the new yellow bird comes home with the lady with the red hair, Barnaby is instantly jealous and lets everyone know. He gets so mad that he flies away, thinking he would be happier on his own. When he encounters a flock of dull, brown birds he’s sceptical at first but he learns from them how to be part of a flock and how to be a good friend.

The writing is beautiful and breathy, just like the flight of the bird on the wind. I love the descriptive text, it gives readers a clear picture of the setting of the story. You wouldn’t even need the illustrations to know exactly what everything looks like because of the beautiful text.

The illustrations are incredible. Kass Reich is one of our favourite illustrators, her work is distinctive and bold and so inviting. In Barnaby, the distinction between Barnaby and the other birds is stark, you can’t miss the little blue budgie out in the wild. The birds are expressive, animated and realistic, you can tell Kass Reich has spent time observing and studying birds.

[E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first encountered this book when featured on the Booklist Showcasing Social Emotional Learning webinar in February 2021. It was presented as a story about a budgie who was spoiled and entitled and flies off only to learn more about gratefulness and inclusion before returning home.

It is a delightful story about a budgie who does not cope well when his owner introduces a new bird into the house and instead flies off. Barnaby then learns to appreciate many different things about his experience outside of his home, ultimately returning home to make peace with his new housemate.

After reading it a few times, I don’t know that if I would have pegged it for an SEL without having seen it on the webinar. The prose is very whimsical and endearing. The illustrations are fantastic and a pleasure to look at. However, it will not be one of my go-to‘s for an SEL selection.

It would be more appropriate for a preschool story time.

[J. Robinson-Readersgottoread · Rating 5 out of 5]

This picture book takes the well-known storyline of a runaway pet and adds a message of community and exploration. Barnaby has a loving relationship with his owner, so when she brings home another bird, he is very upset. He exhibits some negative behavior and is put into his cage with a blanket over it. The next day, he takes the opportunity to fly out of an open window. At first, he and birds in the wild do not get along. He shuns them and they leave him alone. Eventually, he makes a connection through food and flying. After a while, he starts thinking of returning to his home. The illustrations emphasize soothing browns and reds, with Barnaby standing out on each page with his vibrant blue and white coloring. This would be a good book for parents/caregivers to use when discussing difficult feelings with young children.

This review is based on reading the published book. Thank you to Owlkids Books and NetGalley for the e-galley.
My reviews and ratings are my own.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

A pampered budgie named Barnaby enjoys the good life with his doting owner. One day, she decides to bring a new companion for him home, a small yellow canary. Barnaby throws a tantrum in protest, but the lady will not tolerate the behavior and returns him to a covered cage. At the next opportunity, Barnaby decides to fly the coop and explore his options. He comes upon a group of sparrows and learns to appreciate how to survive. While integrating into the flock, he continues to search for his former home. Will he find it and will he be received back home?

The gorgeous gouache illustrations really participate well in the story-telling. The story is told is beautifully descriptive words. I think all children will feel the concern for this little prideful budgie and learn a lesson about life along the way.

[Lisa Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this story of the little blue budgie. I had a parakeet just like it when I was little. I named him Petey and would try to teach him to say him name. The budgie in this story is upset because his owner brings home another bird. When the lady refuses to remove the new bird he flies out the window. He learns how to make new friends with other birds that are not like him. They teach him how to survive without the lady's help. All the while he is searching for his home. When he finally finds it he sees the new bird still there. He makes friends with the new bird by bringing her a berry from outside. Having new friends that are different than you is a good thing! They can teach you new things and you will not be alone.
I absolutely love the beautiful illustrations in this book. Soft colors and wonderful detail.

[The Blossoming Bibliophiles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this gorgeous story about a little blue budgie named Barnaby!

Barnaby loves his home with the kind lady who feeds him fruit and seeds and lets him out to fly freely around the room. However, jealousy hits when the lady brings home a new little yellow bird. Out of frustration, Barnaby flies away and finds himself living in the wild amongst a group of sparrows who teach him a thing or two about kindness, friendship and acceptance. Although Barnaby loves his new friends, he realizes how much he misses home and flies home to make amends with the little yellow bird.

This would be an excellent book to share with a child who may be struggling with the addition of a new brother or sister.

The illustrations by are stunning and beautifully capture Barnaby's changing emotions throughout the book. The endpapers are also eye-catchingly gorgeous!

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

This young reader packs quite a bit of story into such a compact frame. Nothing to do with Midsommer Murders, it is instead about a budgie called Barnaby, who gets extremely ratty when his human mummy comes home with a little yellow canary, and flies the nest at the first opportunity. So not only do we have him coping with the outside world, and being taught its ins and outs by some new friends, but also the change in Barnaby's mind that lets us see whether he finds his way home or not. Pleasant illustrations that give both accuracy and character to the birds, and an old-fashioned font and sort of copper-plated text boxes, all give a classical feel to this, and it's a rich experience for the right audience member.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jealousy can make one want something different, and Barnaby, a lovely blue budgie, experiences both as his owner brings home another bird, one I imagine she thinks will make a good companion. Barnaby is having none of that and flies off to the outer world, wonders about those drab brown birds pecking away until, looking closer, he realizes they are not dull at all, "but flocked with gold and bands of rust." He has enjoyed them but continued to search for that other home. Andrea Curtis tells a tale of those who wander and finally figure out home might be okay after all. With her poetic words and Kass Reich's lovely illustrations, it would be nice to read and discuss individual thoughts of home with a group.

[Michelle (FabBookReviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written by Canadian author Andrea Curtis and illustrated by Canadian artist Kass Reich (from the Megabat books!), Barnaby* is a thoughtful, beautifully rich story centering around a much-loved budgie named Barnaby whose jealously and temper gets the best of him when his lady (his human) brings a new feathered friend home. Barnaby reads like a modern fable, so vibrantly captured and presented by the winning combination of Curtis’s detailed storytelling and Reich’s captivating illustrations.

I received a copy of this title courtesy of Owlkids Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and comments are my own.

[C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I saw the cover of this book, I wanted to download it immediately.

This is a sweet story about a little bird who steps outside of his life into a wider world and learns a few things about inclusion and looking past the surface in the process.

Barnaby, the title character, is a beautful blue bird who lives in a home with a woman. When she brings home another bird, his life is disrupted and at one point he flies out of the open window. After losing the home, he has to learn how to get along with the 'dull birds'.

I loved the whimsical illustrations of this book, and it's a lovely one to have on hand for the preK set.

[k2148 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barnaby. By Andrea Curtis, Illustrator: Kass Reich. 2021. Owlkids Books (ARC eBook).

Barnaby, a blue budgie, becomes jealous when his owner brings home a fluffy yellow canary to be his friend. In response, Barnaby flies though an open window and away. But then when he finds himself in the wild he learns that it is good to have friends around. A sweet “there’s no place like home” story with lovely illustrations.

*Owlkids Books ARC via NetGalley

[Mehsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Een verwaand en vervelende vogel komt er achter dat zijn eigen huis niet zo erg is en dat hij ook niet altijd zo op uiterlijk moet oordelen. Ik vond het leuk geschreven maar ik vond Barnaby gewoon vervelend, vooral in het begin. Ja, ik snap dat je het niet leuk vindt dat je baasje iemand nieuw heeft, maar ze geeft jou net zoveel aandacht en liefde en meer. Het duurt totdat hij verdwaald en dus hongerig voordat hij snapt dat het leven veel groter is en dat iedereen mooi is op zijn/haar manier. En hij leert nog veel meer.
Het einde was leuk maar ik vond het ook erg abrupt.
De tekeningen waren echt het beste aan het hele boek. Wat waren die prachtig!!

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an electronic ARC from Owlkids Books through NetGalley.
Charming story of a pet bird who becomes jealous when his owner brings home another bird to be his friend. He flies out the open window and finds other birds to be with. They teach Barnaby how to survive on his own. However, he feels the call of home and returns willing to reach out and be a friend. Soft colored illustrations bring the birds and backgrounds to life for elementary readers. The message translates well as readers everywhere will relate to concerns with changing family dynamics.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Barnaby is a little blue budgie bird with a comfortable home and a "kind lady" who feeds him and plays with him. When she brings home another bird one day, Barnaby refuses to be friends and escapes, only to be lost and alone and wish he could find home. The tale of Barnaby finding out the meaning of friendship and family and trying to return home is beautifully illustrated. This would make a nice group or one-on-one read aloud to start a discussion about feelings and families and friendship. Recommended, especially for bird lovers!

[Emilee (emileereadsbooks) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Owlkids Books for a free digital copy for my review.

What a sweet story of how we might take advantage of our homes and throw fits when things change. How we can learn new lessons, and come back as better people. All within the realm of story about a bird who gets jealous and has to fly away to know that he wants to come home. I loved these illustrations. They are sweet and beautiful and pieces of art on each page.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a sweet book about a parakeet named Barnaby who is fawned over by his owner; so much so that he isn't very happy when a new bird arrives at his home. An adventure follows. This book is perfect for children of all ages, teaching about acceptance and being humble. I also really liked the artwork. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

[Cat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heart stopping story of a jealous parakeet, Barnaby, he flies away from home when hos pet mom bring home another bird. We had a parakeet who got out once but returned after a few hours of my grandmother frantically walking the neighborhood calling for it. Of course, this one gets lost for a bit, too. Luckily, all ends well. Still, most birds who get away do not have happy endings. I'd be careful if I owned a small child and a bird in the home.
I received a Kindle arc from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The highlight of this book were 1) the illustrations that were bursting with color and 2) the totally spot-on way the story captured bird behavior. My mother-in-law has birds and this is exactly how they act (maybe not with the friendly berry-giving that was more of a plot element, but Barnaby's tantrum for sure!). A budgie named Barnaby throws a fit when his owner acquires a new bird. He runs away and learns about accepting others..

[Sandy Brehl · Rating 5 out of 5]

When a parakeet (or other pet bird) ends up in the vastness of the world, results are rarely as happy as they are in this story. Odds are slim that a safe return to home will ever come to pass. It does happen, though, and it did for my Cupid. (See below) In this picture book, Barnaby is the avatar for a very human story of jealousy, anger, isolation, loneliness, and growth. There is a reason some truism are true, as in: absence makes the heart grow fonder.

[Hal · Rating 4 out of 5]

arc kindly provided to me from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review

This one was cute! I really really enjoyed the art style. The colors were very soothing and the overall experience while reading this one was super calm and beautiful.

I really think this is going to be a story that kids will want to read over and over!!

4/5 ⭐️

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Feelings of jealousy often come up in the elementary school classroom. Especially with children gaining their siblings. Basically that’s what happened in the story the older bird got a younger bird sibling. Many children feel replaced when a child comes into the home. This book would be easy to use to dispel this. Jealousy. Jealousy.

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed Barnaby by Andrea Curtis. The story was sweet and will resonate well with children as they might encounter change in their lives. I enjoyed the illustrations and how they were used throughout the story. They layout of the pages and text were beautifully done and really brought forth a whimsy that brought the story to life.

[Becky McGregor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, I am a fan of birds and the artwork in this book is just superb. I enjoyed the story that the bird became jealous when the lady brought another bird to into the house. How Branaby left and then learned the importance of companionship. The artwork and the story make for a perfect picture book.

[Ashley Dang · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very sweet story about a bird who runs away from home and discovers the outside world. I loved reading about Barnaby’s journey! The artwork for this book was very pretty and the adventure was a fun read. I definitely think this would make a great read for kids!

*Thanks netgalley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*