Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The ability of words to comfort and to connect friends is at the crux of this heartening if treacly book. In a palace garden lives a bird who loves words more than he loves worms: "A worm was gone in two beakfuls, but a word could bring happiness over and over again," writes Mortimer. The bird collects words that he overhears and weaves them into his nest, which McClellan portrays, a bit predictably, with collaged words like "princess," "gorgeous," and "creative." A princess and her friend share the bird's fondness for words, and they spend hours telling stories, reading, and singing. When her friend goes away and the young royal grows lonely, various birds bring her gifts-some quite flashy-to perk her up. None is successful until the humble, word-loving bird flies to the palace with "words tucked into his feathers" and sings the princess a lullaby pledging his friendship. The vibrant colors and patchwork of textures, patterns, and decorative shapes in McClellan's mixed-media artwork offers diversions aplenty, but the innocuous story (not to mention vocabulary) isn't especially inspirational. Ages 3-6. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-Happiness abounds in the bright, cheerful palace garden in which the princess and her friend share stories. A little brown bird gathers their words and weaves them into his nest. He prefers words over worms, since words can bring happiness over and over again, whereas worms are "gone in two beakfuls." But then the friend has to go away, and the princess's resulting loneliness brings rain and gloom to the garden. Following the traditional fairy-tale pattern, all the people of the land try to cheer the princess, but only the most unlikely hero succeeds. The flashier palace birds give it their best shot but fail. Instead it is the plain brown bird who brings her solace, using the words he has collected to sing a lullaby about friendship. The illustrations use collage elements to add texture and incorporate words into the hills, the trees, and the bird's nest. Bright colors create a cheerful book, even during the princess's lonely period. Little girls with a princess fixation will enjoy this one and relate to the universal theme of missing a friend. Adult readers will appreciate a princess option about the sustaining power of words and story, with nary a prince anywhere.-Suzanne Myers Harold, Multnomah County Library System, Portland, OR (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
A princess, her best friend, and a small bird love language. When her friend moves away, the princess's sadness affects all the birds in the garden. Although the larger birds try to help, it's the smallest one who is best able to comfort her with his collected words promising friendship and cheer. Colorful mixed-media illustrations nicely incorporate the words and their moods. (c) Copyright 2011. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
In this original fairy tale, a little brown bird that loves words listens intently asa princess and her friend tell each other stories and play in the garden. He catches the words and weaves them expertly into his nest. Lauren Childesque illustrations capture the princess and her garden in their splendor and interpolate the wordscollaged in in ransom-note fashioninventively throughout. When the princess's friend leaves, the princess is left despondent, and the garden becomes dark and dull, so the birds that live there try to find a way to cheerher and bring the sun back. Even though the dazzling feathers of the peacock, the grace of the swans, the playful maneuvers of the jackdaws and other various gifts have no effect, no one thinks for a moment that the plain little bird will have successthough he has a secret treasure that only readers know about. A quiet jewel about friendship and renewal, this is a princess story without the usual clichs as well as a tale that shows the beauty and regenerative power of words. (Picture book. 4-8)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
