When a huge bird from another planet suddenly turns up on Sedrick's roof, he isn't sure what to do with him. It turns out that all Feathers wants is bread, any kind of bread - sesame, wheat, sourdough, pumpernickel - but it takes everyone in town baking all day to provide enough to feed the monstrous bird. They try to get Feathers to earn his keep by lending a hand - or beak, as it were. But he's so large and klutzy that his help usually creates even more problems. Keeping Feathers in bread and out of trouble is starting to be too much for the little town. But when Feathers is swept away by a hurricane, the townspeople, especially Sedrick, mourn his loss. Feathers eventually returns to the town, where he remains, entertaining the folk with stories about his native planet - Earth.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 2AOne evening, Sedrick Van Pelt hears a tapping on his study window and discovers an enormous red bird peering in at him. Fleeing in fear, Sedrick stumbles and falls, but the giant creature poses no immediate threat. A visitor from another planet, Feathers loves bread of any kind. In time, however, the villagers grow weary of trying to satisfy his voracious appetite and his clumsiness results in townwide havoc. Only after a hurricane roars through the hamlet and blows him away is he truly missed. Days later, he reappears on Sedrick's roof and happily spends the remainder of his years in the Van Pelt yard, regaling everyone with stories about his home planetAEarth. Aside from the punch line, this tale of an unappreciated visitor never gets off the ground. The flippant conversational tone of the text provides some humor but not enough drama to sustain interest. The unfolding of events is choppy and the action is often illogical. The benign blue villagers with long snouts, pointed ears, and a predilection for jaunty plumed hats hint at an otherworldly setting but are curiously flat. Egan's ink-and-watercolor illustrations vary from full-page to small vignettes; while they provide lots of interesting detail, they are less than compelling. Lacking the clever zaniness of Burnt Toast on Davenport Street (1997) or the pithy lesson of Metropolitan Cow (1996, both Houghton), this newest offering falls in the featherweight category.ACarol Ann Wilson, Westfield Memorial Library, NJ
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Ages 5^-8. Egan is known for his wild and wacky picture books, such as Metropolitan Cow (1996). His latest is no less zany. In this story, Sedrick Van Pelt is interrupted from his journal writing by the beak of a giant bird tapping at his window. The huge bird is a bread lover--" Bread. I love bread. Any kind of bread. Pumpernickel, rye, whole wheat, sourdough. Any kind. I absolutely love bread." The rest of the story follows the efforts of Sedrick and the newly named Feathers to get that bread. First, the townspeople feed him, then they get him to work, but always disaster ensues. When a big wind blows Feathers away, the townsfolk think they've seen the last of the big bird, but soon enough that annoying voice is back: "Got any bread? I love bread." The rich ink-and-watercolor art features characters and settings that are diminutive compared with the impressive red bird that is the focus of most of the pictures. The wry story has a happy ending that will satisfy kids, but it is really children older than the story hour set who will best appreciate this tongue-in-beak tale. Ilene Cooper
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Tim Egan is the author and illustrator of several offbeat and humorous tales for children. Born in New Jersey, Tim moved to California to attend the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. He still lives in southern California with his wife, Ann, and their two sons.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Child's book, 'Distant Feathers",
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This review is from: Distant Feathers (Hardcover)
I bought this book for a class in a disadvantaged school. The kids loved it. ( They always send a Thank You note. )
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First Sentence:
One Tuesday evening about seven years ago, Sedrick Van Pelt was quietly writing in his journal while trying to ignore the tapping sound on his window. Read the first page New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
One Tuesday evening about seven years ago, Sedrick Van Pelt was quietly writing in his journal while trying to ignore the tapping sound on his window. Read the first page New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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