Follow Here To Purchase The Bird That Didn't Want To Be A Bird

Author: Anne Toole
Illustrator: Richa Kinra
Publisher: Outskirts Press
ISBN: 978-1-4787-5637-8

“Not being a bird
That would be absurd!
Why couldn’t I see?
That it is best for me!”
Anne Toole writes in her children’s book, Thie Bird that Didn’t Want to be a Bird.

This unnumbered thirty-two-page paperback targets children ages three to seven years old or those learning to read. With no scary scenes, it is a story about a bird that wishes he was not a bird but something else. With black writing against white boxed-backgrounds on one side of the pages, the opposite sides usually contain crisp, colorful illustrations that follow the storyline.

In this short tale told in rhyme, a little blue bird tells his mother that he no longer wants to be a bird. When he flies away, he considers being a cow, turtle, bee, cat, frog, horse, and worm. Recognizing characteristics in each of them, the bird realizes he would rather remain a bird. The book teaches contentment in who we are.

This is a cute, innocuous story that promotes being happy with who you are while learning about animals. I like how the rhymes discuss the different aspects of animals such as the slowness of a turtle, a spotted frog, and a worm that has no feet as it stimulates thinking in young readers. I also appreciate the cartoonish but detailed designs that keep children’s attention.

Although charming, some of the rhymes are a stretch if read out loud, but they work overall. 

After teaching first grade for thirty years, Toole retired, only to work as an ESOL teacher for three years. Having written her first children’s book, she travels extensively and lives in South Carolina. No information is offered regarding illustrator Kinra.

With the Amazon site being so vague and uninformative, it would be nice to explain what the story was about and the author and illustrator’s biographies. Having cadence in rhyming would make the book easier to read.

If you are looking for a story about a bird and comparisons of other animals and insects, this would be a good choice, especially as it reiterates being happy with who you are.

Thanks to Bookpleasures and Outskirts Press for offering this book to review for my honest opinion.