3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Mocking Birdies, March 6, 2006
This review is from: Mocking Birdies (Hardcover)
This picture book is a real treasure.
A blue bird sings in blue text; a red bird copies that singing in red text.
Stop singing my song!
Stop singing my song!
But after the initial copycat dialogue, the two begin talking:
"i sing red as the dawn, when the sun peeps hello"
"i sing blue as the noon, when the sun calls to play"
Next thing you know, the two birds are singing together. And red and blue voices overlap to make purple. And then the purple bird shows up! And then there's a green cat. "Skit scat" "copycat" "copycat cat CAT."
The color coded dialogue contributes to the fun. I'm not sure how well it would work in a traditional story time, even with a storyteller who is good with doing different sounding voices, because of the great moment where red and blue overlap to be purple. Instead, I think it would work best with multiple readers, whether its in a small group with one or two beginning readers, a parent and child, or with a larger number of storytellers.
I like how the electric wires the birds are sitting on become a music staff. And I like how the colors of the rainbow are used. And I also like how the book jacket is different from the actual book cover, with the book cover incorporating the clever red and blue make purple motif.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
we love it!, December 12, 2005
This review is from: Mocking Birdies (Hardcover)
Mocking Birdies is a fun, original and beautiful book. My 3.5 yr old loves the colors and the birds, but mostly loves the rhymes. What better thing to do than mock and copy your sibling? She wants to read it over and over and over again.
you should buy this book. you should buy this book.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bright voices, April 12, 2006
This review is from: Mocking Birdies (Hardcover)
Wikipedia explains that mockingbirds are "best known for the habit of some species of mimicking the songs of other birds, often loudly and in rapid succession." The Mockingbird is the state bird of Texas. This could be a fun book to add to the "state symbols" lessons. Kids understand that copycatting is a sure way to get under someone's skin. The book flap reminds us that "stop copying me" is a frequent childhood refrain.
The bright primary colors and geometric shapes of the birds prepare the readers for a bit of fun as they read this book. The birds sit on lines that resemble a music staff and then later, telephone lines. The text varies in size and color, which would make the book interesting to share as a choral read with a class. I would put the book under an Elmo so the whole class could see the colors and read the words. One group could read the red lines, another, the blue lines, and the purple lines together. The echoing quality of the text would make all students feel successful. This is also a good book to share sitting side by side with just one special reading friend.
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