Although her fearless brothers have learned to fly, a small white bird is afraid.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
In this debut from a Belgian author-illustrator, a timid starling hesitates to soar like her four brothers. Teenie Bird is a runt, and her all-white feathers do not match those of her black-and-gold-flecked family. "My brothers are eager to do everything by themselves.... I like for my mother to do it for me," she whispers, looking to her parent for a bite of earthworm. She cannot bear the thought of flying and clings to the branch of a sturdy cherry tree. Only on the closing pages does she join her brothers in the air, saying, "Though I am small, I am just as brave as they are, and can fly just as high." This revelation, if gracefully expressed, rings false after so much anxiety. Bosschaert's first-person narrative portrays Teenie as exceptionally shy, and connects inhibition to femininity; Teenie's "tough and daring" brothers call her "a silly little girl." Yet the rough-hewn monoprint-and-acrylic images, which suggest the paintings of Wolf Erlbruch or Georg Hallensleben, give a different impression. Dynamic swirls of blue and red suggest windswept clouds, and thick brushstrokes make all the birds, Teenie included, appear substantial and alive as they pick globular orange cherries. Bosschaert's dense, tactile spreads contradict the uncertainty of the title character's voice, and the life-size birds flutter boldly on the pages. Scott Beck's Pepito the Brave (Forecasts, Dec. 18, 2000) covers the same territory more convincingly. Ages 3-6. (Mar.)
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 3-The youngest in a family of birds overcomes her fears and learns to fly. Teenie Bird is "the opposite of my brothers and nothing like my mother." She is small and timid while they are big and daring. Their feathers are brown, while hers are white. They fear nothing, while everything frightens her. They tease her and call her a coward. Simply and clearly written in language that preschoolers can understand, the story of her dilemma will hit home. Listeners are sure to cheer her success as Teenie Bird discovers that she can indeed "fly just as high" as her siblings. Ivory-colored pages give the artwork an especially warm and friendly look. The technique, monoprint (which uses an image from a plate painted with gouache) and acrylic, results in illustrations with both child appeal and movement. Splashes, strokes, and spots of color appear in the background of each page in amounts small enough that they never overwhelm the characters, but give them depth and often reinforce their movement. A story of fear overcome and success won by a small but triumphant character.-Jane Marino, Scarsdale Public Library, NY
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
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