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122nd out of 180 books
—
19 voters
Bird
by
Zetta Elliott (Goodreads Author),
Shadra Strickland (Goodreads Author)
An African American boy nicknamed Bird uses drawing as a creative outlet as he struggles to make sense of his grandfather's death and his brother's drug addiction.
Hardcover, 48 pages
Published
October 1st 2008
by Lee & Low Books
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This book was so touching. Mehkai, known as "Bird," uses drawing to help him cope with the difficulties of life, including his grandfather's death and his brother's drug addiction. The illustrations are perfect: the use of white space makes for a borderless movement between Bird's life and his drawings of life. I didn't notice until the second reading the Marcus' graffiti painting is of a bird; the bird theme is many-layered. A sad story that still manages to be hopeful, and to speak simply abou...more
There's a point in the book where a character talks about birds: "birds aren't light...We only think that they're strong." The opposite could be said for this book and the expectations we might draw from its thin size, minimal text and many pictures. But it defies expectiation (or at least mine) and efficiently utilizes the little that it has and becomes an emotional story of addiction, loss, and the redemptive benefits of art.
This book really touched me. It was the story of a boy whose brother was a drug addict. It broke my heart to read but I was so thankful there was an honest book out there that we could hand to a child who may be going through something like this. So well worded that is could be used with a younger age than most books. Grades 3+
Feb 23, 2009
Mary Ann
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
3rd,
4th,
5th,
african-american,
brothers,
families,
grandparents,
realistic,
picture-books,
multicultural
a beautiful, gentle, powerful story - about a boy's relationship with his brother and grandfather, about how his family supports him as he copes with his brother's and grandfather's deaths, about his relationship with Uncle Sonny, and about his gift of drawing.
universal in a child's support by his family and sadness with the passing of his grandfather & brother, and yet so specific to the particular urban setting. complex and simple at the same time - fantastic.
universal in a child's support by his family and sadness with the passing of his grandfather & brother, and yet so specific to the particular urban setting. complex and simple at the same time - fantastic.
Beautifully written, and illustrated; but it's picture book format makes it likely that it's true audience might miss it.
Delicate first-person verse and a stirring orchestration of watercolour, charcoal and ballpoint pen illustrations peek inside a young artist as he wrestles with his family’s issues of addiction and loss.
You can listen in on our chat about this book on our Just One More Book! Children's Book Podcast.
You can listen in on our chat about this book on our Just One More Book! Children's Book Podcast.
one of those "it's sad cause it's true" books.i really liked the watercolor illustrations.
Dec 05, 2012
Ed
added it
Elliott, Zetta (2008). Bird. Shadra Strickland, Illustrator. NY: Lee & Low Books. (unpaginated) ISBN: 978-1-60060-241-2 (Hardcover) $19.95
Bird is another one of those fabulous books that is better suited to older students, despite a cover that looks young. Mehkai is a young artist. His grandfather calls him Bird. Bird would not be an artist, perhaps, if it were not for the mentoring provided by his older brother Marcus. Marcus, however, is not your typical mentor and many do not value his ar...more
Bird is another one of those fabulous books that is better suited to older students, despite a cover that looks young. Mehkai is a young artist. His grandfather calls him Bird. Bird would not be an artist, perhaps, if it were not for the mentoring provided by his older brother Marcus. Marcus, however, is not your typical mentor and many do not value his ar...more
Oct 09, 2012
Erin Mccall
added it
Bird, the melancholy story of a young boy who loses his older brother (to drugs) as well as his grandfather, is surely controversial for having content about drugs. As a SLTP student, it really does irk me that our self-censorship ought to revoke such books with strong messages and winning handsome literary awards. A Corretta Scott King Award winner, this book goes further than the African American race portrayed, but speaks to all young readers who may face a hardship such as addiction in thei...more
Jan 14, 2010
Nicki Blomquist
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Shelves:
african-american,
multicultural-literature
This books needs to come with a warning. While this book is great for kids that may experience real life situations like this I do not think it is an appropriate book young readers may pull from the shelf and read on their own. Mehkani's nickname is Bird. His granddad who passes away last year gave him that name. Granddad's best friend Sonny now spends a weekly afternoon in the park with Bird. This surrogate granddad has become a positive influence in Bird's life. Bird spends time with him after...more
Bird is the nickname of a young Brooklyn boy who loves drawing and loves birds, though the nickname pre-dates his love of birds and is also a reference to Charlie “Bird” Parker, the great jazz musician. It’s a children’s book, written in free verse, that tackles tough themes—the risks of urban America, the consequences of someone we love taking wrong paths that as irretriviably as a riptide carry that person away forever, and how loss and love threaten to overwhelm us. Challenging themes for a c...more
A realistic and most beautiful tale of a young boy that has lost his grandfather and is blessed to have his grandfather's friend to mentor him, while his chemically dependent older brother that he looks up to is too down in the dumps to be saved. The illustrations and words are warm, loving and real. We can't hide the truth from our children when their lives don't hide the horrors from them. BIRD is a 8 star book. It is up there with VISITING DAY, CHESS RUMBLE and THE WAY A DOOR CLOSES and I'M L...more
This picture book for older readers tells the story of Bird, who loves to draw. The story weaves Bird’s memory his older brother; his artistic inspiration, his addiction to drugs, being kicked out of their home and ultimate death. He also reflects on memories of his grandfather who has also died. Throughout the book Bird creates his drawings, supported by the memory of his brother and encouraged by his uncle. Uncle Son is Bird’s grandfather’s brother who becomes a supportive mentor in his life....more
It is unfortunate how challenging it is to find children's books as well written and as imaginatively illustrated as this children's narrative. Bird is a little boy whose family has gone through troubled times. Bird's grandfather, a main character, remains optimistic throughout the entire story, and inspires his grandson (Bird) to pursue his imagination and dreams through artwork, which is beautifully displayed through the entire story. This would be a wonderful book for the elementary classroom...more
A touching picture book about Bird, who loves to draw what he sees around him. Through his drawings, and through his relationship with his grandfather (and later his grandfather's friend "Uncle Son) and his parents, Bird also learns to understand and cope with his brother's drug addiction. The illustrations are lovely, with the people done in full, warm color and the background very spare. Many of the backgrounds look as if they are Bird's work. This is a book that deals with some heavy topics t...more
This book is also a 2009 Coretta Scott King winner and a John Steptoe award winner. Mekhai is nick-named “Bird” because he likes to draw birds and his Granddad thought he looked like a bird as a child. Some of the illustrations are Bird’s drawings, while others are beautiful watercolor representations of his neighborhood. This story explores the complications in Bird’s life—his brother is a drug addict and Granddad just died. Even though the book deals with the dark topics, Bird has many strong,...more
John Steptoe Award for New Talent to illustrator Shadra Strickland
Lovely colored pencil drawings on the end papers set the story in a city, the story of a young boy trying to understand his older brother's death by drugs. Mekhai, known as 'Bird,' is trying to make sense of his world through his art, drawing images of birds, both literal and metaphorical: WW II airplanes that his father flew in the war, pigeons he feeds in the park with his Uncle Son, the jazz music of Charlie Parker. In the en...more
Lovely colored pencil drawings on the end papers set the story in a city, the story of a young boy trying to understand his older brother's death by drugs. Mekhai, known as 'Bird,' is trying to make sense of his world through his art, drawing images of birds, both literal and metaphorical: WW II airplanes that his father flew in the war, pigeons he feeds in the park with his Uncle Son, the jazz music of Charlie Parker. In the en...more
Takes a difficult topic and tells it in a way kids can understand. Bird's older brother is plummeting into drug addiction, which eventually gets him locked out of the house. Great drawings, too, which go well with Bird's talent for drawing. Covers the relationship between Bird and his brother and Bird and his grandfather. I booktalked this book to fourth graders and had several kids who were interested in the book because of Bird's interest in drawing and his family.
Content Areas: Social / Emoti...more
Content Areas: Social / Emoti...more
This is a picture book for older readers about a boy whose loving family, friends and a gift for drawing help to guide him through difficult emotions surrounding the deaths of his grandfather and drug-addicted brother. The drug use and death is handled subtly, as it focuses mostly on the how the boy is getting through this difficult time. Drug use among family members is a reality for some young people, but it seems rare to find books for the older elementary age group that reflect that experien...more
Sensitive story about a young boy whose brother becomes addicted to drugs and died as a result. Beautiful illustrations and uplifting ending.
Oct 06, 2010
Krista the Krazy Kataloguer
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
read-childrens-books,
read-goodreads-authors
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Title: Bird
Author: Zetta Elliott
Publisher: Lee & Low Books
Synopsis: The character, Bird, is the title character. He deals with his life troubles by expressing his emotions through art. Bird faces grief as well as having a drug dealing older brother. Ultimately, he flies above his problems.
My thoughts:
The art was gorgeous. I enjoyed seeing a picture book featuring resilient children of color. However, I someone question the appropriateness of giving this book to a child due to the allusion's...more
Author: Zetta Elliott
Publisher: Lee & Low Books
Synopsis: The character, Bird, is the title character. He deals with his life troubles by expressing his emotions through art. Bird faces grief as well as having a drug dealing older brother. Ultimately, he flies above his problems.
My thoughts:
The art was gorgeous. I enjoyed seeing a picture book featuring resilient children of color. However, I someone question the appropriateness of giving this book to a child due to the allusion's...more
Although this is a picture book, it is intended for older children, which is good b/c, while I liked this book very much, my first thought was that the subject matter would be too much for many young children. The little boy in the story is dealing with devastating family issues - a drug-addicted family member and death in the family. While I think there are definitely children who would benefit from this book, b/c that's their reality, it's probably not be appropriate for all young children. Bu...more
This tackled some difficult subject matter, death and drug addiction. I got a little thrown off the first time I read it. I didn't realize I was in a flashback, and was having trouble keeping pace with the timeline.
If you aren't ready to get into some heavy conversations about herion use, grandpa dying, or why a family member would break in and steal the television, I would caution you from using this with your family.
There are some very sad moments, but the main character seems to emerge unsc...more
If you aren't ready to get into some heavy conversations about herion use, grandpa dying, or why a family member would break in and steal the television, I would caution you from using this with your family.
There are some very sad moments, but the main character seems to emerge unsc...more
This is one of the loveliest most affecting books for children I’ve seen in a long time. It is a fantastic book to help children deal with the loss of a loved one. It has garnered a long list of awards, including the Ezra Jack Keats Book Award, The Paterson Prize for Books for Young People, and ALA Notable Children’s Book. The illustrator, Shadra Strickland, won the 2009 Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent in Illustrations. Lee & Low recommends this book for children aged 8...more
An intense but beautiful book about a young boy, Bird, whose older brother has a severe drug addiction. Bird finds release, escape, and comfort through drawing. Both the illustrations and the text are very delicate, not overpowering or overstated, which makes the weight of the story easier to bear. The illustrations create something of a fragile bridge between Bird's reality and his inner thoughts. This is a tough topic for a picture book, but I think the end result is lovely and important.
Jul 29, 2011
Catherine Woodman
added it
I thought this was well written and well illustrated--the story is about a young boy who lives in urban poverty, whose brother is a junkie, and whose grandfather is trying to keep the good in his life and what is not so good as much out as he can. The boy has an optimistic voice, but he knows that all is not good in the world. It has verymodern illustrations that remind you of mod clothes and urban graffitti. I would highly recommend for the mid-grammar school reader.
I've been putting off reviewing this one because I don't know exactly how I feel about it. Bird is struggling with the death of his older brother due to drug addiction, and with the death of his grandfather, so Bird uses art to cope. The book is in a picture-book format, but obviously deals with a heavier topic, so it's not for little kids. It's beautiful and gently honest in dealing with such a heavy subject, but I still felt a little removed.
This boo was very good. It is about a boy who stuggles through everyday life and the things that children may see inside their home. I liked how I can relate to this book because I have something in common with the boy in this book. I learned that there are always things in life that are going to bring you down, but in order to keep up you just have to be strong and do what you love to do.
Intense, to the point but still artfully written. I liked it. There was just one part where I thought it stumbled. It wasn't clear that the brother died and the reader could confuse "the funeral" with his grandfather's funeral. I flipped back a page to see if I had missed something. But overall, great for kids who don't like reading, brief, emotional and deserving of all the recognition.
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Zetta Elliott’s poetry has been published in the Cave Canem anthology, The Ringing Ear: Black Poets Lean South, Check the Rhyme: an Anthology of Female Poets and Emcees, and Coloring Book: an Eclectic Anthology of Fiction and Poetry by Multicultural Writers. Her novella, Plastique, was excerpted in T Dot Griots: an Anthology of Toronto’s Black Storytellers, and her essays have appeared in The Blac...more
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Mar 12, 2009 06:34am