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Title: A Grand Old Tree Written and illustrated by: Mary Newell Published By: Arthur A. Levine Books, 2005 Themes/Topics: Trees, life cycle, ecology, seasons Suitable for ages: 3-7     Opening:                            … Continue reading →

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Two Little Birds

by Mary Newell DePalma

Eerdmans BfYR         2/14/2014

978-0-8028-5421-6

Age 4 to 8            32 pages

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“Each little bird has a part in nature’s grand scheme: the earth tilts, the seasons change, and songbirds arrive in new places just as insects hatch, fruits ripen, and flowers bloom. In this story, two plucky young birds launch into their first journey, which proves to be full of challenge, peril, and wonder.”

Opening

“After much effort . . . two little birds emerge from their eggs.”

The Story

Two little birds enter the world and learn to do what little birds like them have always been doing: they eat, they play, and they grew up. Then, seeing a flock of birds heading south, the birds decide to join the journey. They flew farther than they ever had. Home was getting farther away and then a thunderstorm struck. The two little birds tumbled and lost their way. The flock is gone. The two little birds need to find their way to the flock or to home. Can they find their way?

Review

A simple story of nature that is more complex than one might think. The birds leave at night, when all songbirds leave for the migration south. The little birds want to go. Something in them must say it is time. They go, but find the flying is harder than they have ever done, but that they are stronger than they thought. The story of Two Little Birds is about two little song birds, yet, kids can find ways to relate to the little birds. It is time to change schools. The family has moved, or it is time for high school. The child’s confidence is less than normal. The situation is new and they wonder if they can make it in this new place, but then, they find that with a little hard work they can make it, just like the little birds. Relating this story to sports is far easier. A new team, will the child make it? A little harder to play at the newer level, but with some extra effort, a bit more hustle, and keeping their eye on the ball, the child fits in just fine, just like the little birds fit into their society.

The story is also cute, one that young children will enjoy. The birds flew and flew and then tumbled. How many times do young kids tumble? Children will relate to the little birds, who muster on until they found their way, just like children bounce up and keep on going. [Not like an energizer bunny, but the analogy works.] Two Little Birds will make a very good story time or bedtime story, and is perfect for the kindergarten or preschool class.

The illustrations are wonderful. Mostly in blues and pastels, the author/illustrator used a mixed-media collage, which is most evident in the first and second spreads, where the birds lay upon the nest in their eggs or just hatched from them. Knowing this is a collage makes it easier to find those layers, such as the map of South Carolina as the birds tumble from the sky, thanks to lightning and thunder booms. Knowing the artist’s process, methods, or materials makes the illustrations more interesting.

Young children will love the two little birds, who are unnamed—at least until the first reading. I imagine kids will have those two birds named in no time. The beautiful books will catch your eye with these two newborn birds leaving the nest. You can read Two Little Birds multiple times without any loss of enthusiasm, perfect for parents with young children who become hooked on one book for an undetermined amount of time. I hear that includes most every child, so it is a good thing the story is interesting and a nice read aloud.

After Two Little Birds, Ms. DePalma writes a little on the migration of songbirds. She explains that songbirds, orioles in particular, migrate at night from the north to the Yucatan Peninsula, which includes an 18-hour nonstop flight across the Gulf of Mexico. It is no wonder the two little birds became so tired. Your child and you do not need to make this flight to enjoy the migration. Simply read Two Little Birds.

TWO LITTLE BIRDS. Text and illustrations copyright © 2014 by Mary Newell DePalma. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, MI.

Learn more about Two Little Birds HERE.

Get your copy of Two Little Birds at Amazon—B&N—Eerdmans BfYR—your local bookstore.

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Meet Mary Newell DePalma at her website:   http://www.marynewelldepalma.com/

Find more books that are fascinating at Eerdmans BfYR website:   http://www.eerdmans.com/YoungReaders/Default.aspx

Eerdmans Books for Young Readers is an imprint of Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

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Also by Mary Newell DePalma

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Bow-Wow Wiggle-Waggle

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NEW at Eerdmans BfYR

Jesus

Thomas the Toadilly Terrible Bully

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by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg Minx/DC Comics 2007 On a casual spring day in the big city Jane is suddenly thrown to the ground when a bomb in a nearby trash can goes off. In the wake of this her parents decide to move out of the city and into the safety and peace of the suburbs. Jane's fish-out-of-water attempts to fit in at her new school are coupled with her desire to create something

Last week, I read two very different graphic novels for girls. They are for different target ages and cover very different material, and yet both are about art and about the need to honor individualism.



First, I read To Dance: A Ballerina's Graphic Novel, by Siena Cherson Siegel, illustrated by Mark Siegel, which is essentially Siena's autobiographical account of her successful drive to become a teenaged ballerina, a career she ultimately left. And yes, the illustrator is her husband, who is also the editorial director of First Second books, the publisher of said graphic novel (and also the publisher of American Born Chinese, the Printz award winner for 2007 and a National Book Award finalist in 2006 The detour into Mark Siegel's role at First Second is a bit of a digression, but I believe it explains a lot about how this wonderful book got made when it otherwise might not have been considered acceptable in the graphic novel market. It won a Sibert honor this year, given by the ALA for best informational book. (Team Moon won the category.)

To Dance follows young Siena from the age of six, when she first wanted to dance but was told she wouldn't be able to due to flat feet, to her journey from Puerto Rico to New York City to study at George Ballantine's School of American Ballet, to performing onstage at Lincoln Center. The book doesn't romanticize the journey, but details the practice and dedication required of young dancers who seriously want the ballet as their career -- including injuries, missing school, and more. And the sacrifices aren't all professional, either -- personal lives are also affected, including the relationship between Siena's parents: her mother lives with Siena in New York, while her father spends most of his time in Puerto Rico.

Simplified, this book is a memoir. But truly, it's more than that -- it is both an homage to the world of ballet (and to some of the major players in it, including Mr. Ballanchine) and a true-to-life informative essay on what the life of a serious dancer is like. And the illustrations are truly lovely and evocative, perfectly targeted for the middle grade female readers at whom the book is aimed (inside the cover reads "Ages 8-14").

Here's an excerpt from the Simon & Schuster website:



If you haven't checked out To Dance: A Ballerina's Graphic Novel, you have missed something special. A must-buy for young dancers.

The second graphic novel I read was The Plain Janes by the wonderful Cecil Castellucci (), illustrated by Jim Rugg, out from Minx, DC Comics's new imprint for teenage girls.



The Plain Janes tells the story of Jane, a teenager from New York City who is involved in a terrorist attack (I'm guessing -- there's an explosion for sure, and her parents no longer consider the city safe and take her to suburbia once she's recovered enough from her injuries). Jane is full of urban edge and decidedly unhappy with her new town and high school -- until she meets three girls at the "rejects" table, all named Jane -- Jayne, the brainy science geek, Jane, the drama geek, and Polly Jane, an athlete who doesn't always get the playing time she deserves. Together, they form a guerilla movement -- they're going to create public art. The acronym for their organization? P.L.A.I.N.: People Loving Art In Neighborhoods.

With each act of guerilla art, the girls bond more closely together. Jane (the main character) learns to fit in a bit, dabbles with romance with a truly stand-up guy (who meets a completely unwarranted fate, in my opinion), and expands the Janes to include James, a gay male misfit from the school.

I didn't understand the nearly fascist police officer's motivation in this one, and why the town would countenance the extremely harsh curfews that escalate throughout the book when the art exhibits were all reversible, relatively harmless stuff. But I did like the spirit of the story and the idea of forging connections with people who appear to be so different. The absence of any truly adversarial teen was an unusual choice, but it worked in this book -- although perhaps if there had been a teen adversary, it would have seemed a wee bit more realistic somehow.

This one is for teenage girls, as I mentioned before, including as it does a makeout scene and some other scenes mildly inappropriate for younger readers. Overall, I'd have to agree with the twenty-five year old guy who writes Green Lantern Buzz: "It's not mind-blowing or going to change your perspective of comics if you're already a comic book fan, but it's a wonderful read and very intelligent."

Want to see a little bit of what I'm talking about? They check out this teaser from the Minx site. WARNING: It opens with a strobe. Click at the top right corner of the book to turn the pages -- it was a bit persnickety about turning on my computer, but it managed. (An aside: You can also see a teaser for the new title out in June, Re-Gifters.)

Look for the sequel, Janes in Love, in the unspecified future (it's neither written nor inked yet). And according to a semi-reliable source, Cecil and Jim have plans for as many as two more after Janes in Love, but I suppose time will tell.