Mocking Birdies [Hardcover]

Annette Simon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2005 | Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Stop! Stop copying me! It’s a phrase that is parroted by generations of children and achingly familiar to parents. This enchanting picture book presents a playful take on the phenomenon, offering dueling voices a chance to find harmony. The clever story encourages young mimics to take turns, first playing the Blue Bird, then the Red Bird. The short, rhythmic, repeating text is fun and easy for young children to follow, and Simon's brilliant, eye-catching graphics add to the charm.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1–Two birds, one blue and the other red, engage in a nonsensical argument mimicking one another over and over. The repetitive words appear in corresponding blue or red lowercase type. The squabbling begins with the single syllable, you! and escalates to see, my song is blue./like the sun's song is blue and but the sun's song is red./and my song is, too./i sing red as the dawn,/when the sun peeps hello. At last, the birds reach an agreement and they burst into harmonious purple warbles and whistles, at which point they are joined by a violet bird as well as two orange-and-green cats. The intrusive presence of the felines brings the birdsong to an abrupt conclusion. The stylized, geometric illustrations, which subtly convey the various attitudes of the birds, are the best feature of this scattered concept book. The main characters, with their round heads and triangular tails, perch under a large disc of yellow sunshine. The telephone wires on which they balance are strung across a field of white space to resemble a music staff. Although beginning readers may enjoy the back-and-forth of the sunny-side song, this book is a supplementary purchase.–Linda L. Walkins, Mount Saint Joseph Academy, Brighton, MA
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Review

"What great fun! ... Smart, funny, and accessible, Mocking Birdies will entertain teachers and parents as much as children." -- Cynsations; Cynthia Leitich-Smith

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Simply Read Books (November 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1894965299
• ISBN-13: 978-1894965293
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 9.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,878,214 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mocking Birdies, March 6, 2006

By 

Liz B. "Blog: A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy" (Ocean County, New Jersey USA) - See all my reviews

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.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars we love it!, December 12, 2005

By 

Karen Jacobs "KJ" (austin, tx) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bright voices, April 12, 2006

By 

Camille "at the BookMoot!" (Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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.