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North, South, East, West: A Picture Book About Growing Up and Leaving Home for Kids
From Margaret Wise Brown, the bestselling author of classics like Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny, comes a never-before-published story about a little bird’s first journey, brought to life by Geisel Award-winning illustrator Greg Pizzoli.
It’s time for a little bird to fly away
to the north, the south, the east, and the west.
Which direction will she like best?
It’s time for a little bird to fly away
to the north, the south, the east, and the west.
Which direction will she like best?
38 pages, Hardcover
First published January 24, 2017
6 people are currently reading
253 people want to read
About the author
Margaret Wise Brown
403 books1,263 followersMargaret Wise Brown wrote hundreds of books and stories during her life, but she is best known for Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny. Even though she died nearly 70 years ago, her books still sell very well.
Margaret loved animals. Most of her books have animals as characters in the story. She liked to write books that had a rhythm to them. Sometimes she would put a hard word into the story or poem. She thought this made children think harder when they are reading.
She wrote all the time. There are many scraps of paper where she quickly wrote down a story idea or a poem. She said she dreamed stories and then had to write them down in the morning before she forgot them.
She tried to write the way children wanted to hear a story, which often isn't the same way an adult would tell a story. She also taught illustrators to draw the way a child saw things. One time she gave two puppies to someone who was going to draw a book with that kind of dog. The illustrator painted many pictures one day and then fell asleep. When he woke up, the papers he painted on were bare. The puppies had licked all the paint off the paper.
Margaret died after surgery for a bursting appendix while in France. She had many friends who still miss her. They say she was a creative genius who made a room come to life with her excitement. Margaret saw herself as something else - a writer of songs and nonsense.
Margaret loved animals. Most of her books have animals as characters in the story. She liked to write books that had a rhythm to them. Sometimes she would put a hard word into the story or poem. She thought this made children think harder when they are reading.
She wrote all the time. There are many scraps of paper where she quickly wrote down a story idea or a poem. She said she dreamed stories and then had to write them down in the morning before she forgot them.
She tried to write the way children wanted to hear a story, which often isn't the same way an adult would tell a story. She also taught illustrators to draw the way a child saw things. One time she gave two puppies to someone who was going to draw a book with that kind of dog. The illustrator painted many pictures one day and then fell asleep. When he woke up, the papers he painted on were bare. The puppies had licked all the paint off the paper.
Margaret died after surgery for a bursting appendix while in France. She had many friends who still miss her. They say she was a creative genius who made a room come to life with her excitement. Margaret saw herself as something else - a writer of songs and nonsense.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews
May 9, 2022
Only maps written on your heart can truly tell you where to go. It takes so long for most of us to realize this; so many years spent following maps given to us; and in most cases the people who give us those maps want us to go to a place that will benefit them. This simple tale will help small children to start looking for that map sooner than we did; and maybe that will help them not get as lost as we did.
April 20, 2017
This is a super story about a bird figuring out which direction to go in.
May 11, 2019
A little bird is ready to fly off in this story from Margaret Wise Brown, author of such childhood classics as
Goodnight Moon
and
The Runaway Bunny
, but in what direction should she fly? Her wise mother doesn't give her the answer, so the bird tries all the cardinal directions, until finally she realizes that home is best.
A sweet story about exploring the world, before realizing that the home you left behind is where you're really meant to be, the text of North, South, East, West was taken from a previously unpublished story from this famous author - Brown died in 1952 - and was paired with simple, clean-looking illustrations from Greg Pizzoli. I can't say I had a terribly strong reaction to either text or artwork, but I would imagine that some readers will find in this book an engaging reassurance tale. For my part, I wish more information about the story itself - was it contained in Brown's papers? who found it, and decided to publish it? - was included in some sort of foreword.
A sweet story about exploring the world, before realizing that the home you left behind is where you're really meant to be, the text of North, South, East, West was taken from a previously unpublished story from this famous author - Brown died in 1952 - and was paired with simple, clean-looking illustrations from Greg Pizzoli. I can't say I had a terribly strong reaction to either text or artwork, but I would imagine that some readers will find in this book an engaging reassurance tale. For my part, I wish more information about the story itself - was it contained in Brown's papers? who found it, and decided to publish it? - was included in some sort of foreword.
March 7, 2017
A long ago story by Margaret Wise Brown with new illustrations by a recent children's book illustrator. I enjoy Greg Pizzoli's illustrations and the tone of his colors make this older story fresh and up to date and the story teaches north, south, east, west.
February 8, 2017
Loved this book ! Too cute !! Perfect spring book!
February 23, 2018
Little bird learning to fly wants to know which direction is best to fly in, North, south, east, or west. She flies north, too cold, south too hot. West and still not happy. Then she flew east and home, and had eggs of her own. And they asked the same question after hatching and learning to fly.
August 8, 2017
A little bird leaves her nest and has to decide where to live. After visiting the cold North, the hot South, and the far West, "where the red sun sank into the sea," she realizes that "the East was home." And, "So she stretched her wings and flew into the rising sun."
This has the sweetness and charm of all of Margaret Wise Brown's books, and the art style of Greg Pizzoli is an excellent fit for her prose. Lovely.
This has the sweetness and charm of all of Margaret Wise Brown's books, and the art style of Greg Pizzoli is an excellent fit for her prose. Lovely.
July 30, 2017
“Once there was a little bird all tucked into her nest. It was almost time for her to fly away. Her mother taught her to ride the wind and to fly above and below the storms, and to glide on the strength of the wind. And then they would fly home to their nest in the sycamore tree and she would sing her son. And the little bird would ask, ‘When I fly away, which is best, North, South, East or West?’”
So begins this tale of an intrepid little bird that explores the four directions and determines that home is best.
Pizzoli, illustrator of the Theodore Geisel Medal for the “most distinguished beginning reader for children”, again strikes gold with his lovely digital images for this never-before-published manuscript by Margaret Wise Brown.
Very useful for children learning directions, including during a unit on maps. K-1
So begins this tale of an intrepid little bird that explores the four directions and determines that home is best.
Pizzoli, illustrator of the Theodore Geisel Medal for the “most distinguished beginning reader for children”, again strikes gold with his lovely digital images for this never-before-published manuscript by Margaret Wise Brown.
Very useful for children learning directions, including during a unit on maps. K-1
March 22, 2017
A new baby bird wants her mom to tell her what the best direction to fly is but decides she'll fly out herself to find out. In each direction she finds different things that are unique. So which way is the best? Wherever home and love is.
February 6, 2017
Greg Pizzoli brings a never before published work of Margaret Wise Brown to life. Perfect for spring. Bird learns just which direction is the best - the direction of home.
Especially appreciate the soft colors used to tell the story.
Especially appreciate the soft colors used to tell the story.
November 22, 2016
Lovely. A great pairing of talents from days of yore and days of now.
February 9, 2017
After reading this, I realized I may not be a fan of Margaret Wise Brown. Greg Pizzoli's illustrations are adorable.
March 2, 2017
2 of my favorites together!
March 3, 2017
Minimalist and charming.
June 7, 2017
love the illustrations, bored with the story
October 12, 2017
Sadly, it wasn't much of an interesting or engaging story. I usually like Margaret Wise Brown, but this one didn't meet her usually wonderful standard.
Ages: 2 - 5
Ages: 2 - 5
July 3, 2025
There are many ways you can say how much home means to us:
There's no place like home.
OR
Home is where the heart is.
In this relatively recently discovered story from MWB, a little bird leaves her nest in the sycamore tree and must decide where to make her own little home.
She flew North to "a land of ice and snow, where everything was white."
She headed South "Til the sea was blue, and the trees were gree, and the thickets were full of flowers."
She headed West "to where the red sun sank into the sea."
None of these are right for her, so she flies to the East and home "into the rising sun."
Our little bird will have babies of her own. What will she tell them when it is time for leaving the nest?
Geisel Award-winning illustrator Greg Pizzoli gives us a bird's eye view of the world from the perspective of a little bird explorer. Adorable!
This was my pick for the fourth day of my Margaret Wise Brown week. Next on my list is a picture book bio called Only Margaret: A Story about Margaret Wise Brown (Incredible Lives for Young Readers by Candice Ransom.
There's no place like home.
OR
Home is where the heart is.
In this relatively recently discovered story from MWB, a little bird leaves her nest in the sycamore tree and must decide where to make her own little home.
She flew North to "a land of ice and snow, where everything was white."
She headed South "Til the sea was blue, and the trees were gree, and the thickets were full of flowers."
She headed West "to where the red sun sank into the sea."
None of these are right for her, so she flies to the East and home "into the rising sun."
Our little bird will have babies of her own. What will she tell them when it is time for leaving the nest?
Geisel Award-winning illustrator Greg Pizzoli gives us a bird's eye view of the world from the perspective of a little bird explorer. Adorable!
This was my pick for the fourth day of my Margaret Wise Brown week. Next on my list is a picture book bio called Only Margaret: A Story about Margaret Wise Brown (Incredible Lives for Young Readers by Candice Ransom.
September 14, 2022
"North, South, East, West", written by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Greg Pizzoli, is a wonderful book about a bird who is maturing. Understanding that it is her time to leave the nest, she talks to her mother about which direction she should go. After going north it is too cold, and after going south it is too hot. After going west she is discontented, and ends up traveling back home to the east. But rather than digress into a childlike state of dependency, the bird creates her own nest and has her own baby birds. I particularly enjoy the illustrations by Greg Pizzoli. They are simplistic in nature, with the figures being made up of few polygons. This style easily helps the reader to visualize just how hot, cold, and isolated each location the bird flies to is. One thing I like about this book is that there is something for children of all ages. While on the surface it is about a bird who tries to find a new home, when diving further in we see that it is a struggle of a child gaining independence, realizing that there is always something special at home. For this reason, I would recommend the book for the Second or Third Grade.
August 23, 2023
Finally, a picture book that responds to the longing (and fear) that pervaded much of my childhood:
* Will I really grow up?
* If I really manage to live that long, will I grow up enough?
* Where will I go? Where will I live? How will I choose?
Compassionately, Margaret Wise Brown wrote this picture book to reassure those who felt such longings and fears. In this story the main character is a pretty little bird.
Good! Who would have preferred to read a story where the main character was a sweaty little tomboy of eight? Or a nerdy high schooler who hung out with a small group of other geeky outcasts? Give us readers somebody we can identify with, a main character who looks far prettier.
MARGARET WISE BROWN GAVE US A BRIGHT LITTLE BIRD
By the end of this tale, that smart bird found her answer. Encouraging all the rest of us readers that, eventually, we might be able to do the same, find our place in the world, our good-enough answer.
FIVE STARS to author Margaret Wise Brown and to illustrator Greg Pizzoli.
* Will I really grow up?
* If I really manage to live that long, will I grow up enough?
* Where will I go? Where will I live? How will I choose?
Compassionately, Margaret Wise Brown wrote this picture book to reassure those who felt such longings and fears. In this story the main character is a pretty little bird.
Good! Who would have preferred to read a story where the main character was a sweaty little tomboy of eight? Or a nerdy high schooler who hung out with a small group of other geeky outcasts? Give us readers somebody we can identify with, a main character who looks far prettier.
MARGARET WISE BROWN GAVE US A BRIGHT LITTLE BIRD
By the end of this tale, that smart bird found her answer. Encouraging all the rest of us readers that, eventually, we might be able to do the same, find our place in the world, our good-enough answer.
FIVE STARS to author Margaret Wise Brown and to illustrator Greg Pizzoli.
August 25, 2018
It is telling that the only thing the publicist could think to say on the inside jacket blurb is that this is an undiscovered Margaret Wise Brown text. I love many, many of Margaret Wise Brown's books.
Greg Pizzoli did everything and more he could have done to save the odd "story." Alas, for me it is odd in a lopsided unresolved way. (Why don't the west and east meet up? For that matter, why not the north and south? It's rather middle-continent-centric, and the only reason I'd even let that bother me is because there isn't much else to distract me from it.)
I'm sorry the publisher thought to go the distance with this.
Greg Pizzoli did everything and more he could have done to save the odd "story." Alas, for me it is odd in a lopsided unresolved way. (Why don't the west and east meet up? For that matter, why not the north and south? It's rather middle-continent-centric, and the only reason I'd even let that bother me is because there isn't much else to distract me from it.)
I'm sorry the publisher thought to go the distance with this.
February 13, 2021
As with many children’s books I have read to my daughter, the illustrations in this one were attractive, but I felt like the story was lacking.
Perhaps I disappointed myself, thinking this would help my daughter understand the different directions: north, south, east, west. But this book doesn’t really do that. The bird flies north, and it’s too cold; the bird flies south, and it’s too hot; the bird flies west, and there’s no comment as to why she decides not to stay west. So then she flies back east to where she is from and builds her nest.
Again, nice illustrations, but I didn’t really get the point. I’m not a Margaret Wise Brown fan anyhow.
Perhaps I disappointed myself, thinking this would help my daughter understand the different directions: north, south, east, west. But this book doesn’t really do that. The bird flies north, and it’s too cold; the bird flies south, and it’s too hot; the bird flies west, and there’s no comment as to why she decides not to stay west. So then she flies back east to where she is from and builds her nest.
Again, nice illustrations, but I didn’t really get the point. I’m not a Margaret Wise Brown fan anyhow.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 3, 2018
A little bird is getting ready to fly away from her nest for the first time but doesn't know which direction to go. North, South, East, West? Which direction is best? The bird flies all over the world looking for the best place to set up her own nest. In the end the bird flies east, back toward her old nest and finds her own tree to call her own.
This would be a good book for a unit on directions, north, south, east, and west.
It would also be a good book for a unit on birds.
It would also be good for a unit on weather in places north, south, east, and west of where the child is.
This would be a good book for a unit on directions, north, south, east, and west.
It would also be a good book for a unit on birds.
It would also be good for a unit on weather in places north, south, east, and west of where the child is.
December 18, 2017
This never-before-published book by Margaret Wise Brown follows her hallmark style: The nurturing message, enhanced by classic-like illustrations by Greg Pizzoli, combine to form a warm-feeling story. The sporadic use of rhyme is also comforting, and the underlying message to, "Go in the direction of your dreams," is subtle. A wonderful selection for family story hours, as well as the perfect complement to teachers introducing cardinal directions.
August 8, 2020
As well as conveniently tying in with our map reading and compass unit, Miss 6 liked the mother-daughter family connection in the book (and that the baby bird grows up to have children of her own).
Miss 6 and I like to explore different books and authors at the library, sometimes around particular topics or themes. We try to get different ones out every week or so; it's fun for both of us to have the variety and to look at a mix of new & favourite authors.
Miss 6 and I like to explore different books and authors at the library, sometimes around particular topics or themes. We try to get different ones out every week or so; it's fun for both of us to have the variety and to look at a mix of new & favourite authors.
October 16, 2017
I am always looking for good picture books that teachers can use to support their curriculum and I had such high hopes for this one. While I love that it includes a compass in the beginning and repeats the directional words often, I don't know that it will help young students understand the concept of North, East, South and West better. Great illustrations though!
November 8, 2018
Copyright: 2017
Genre: Picture book
What a beautiful story of a little bird learning how to fly. This is the story of how a little bird can't decide which way is better to go North, South, West, or East. It ultimately decides that home is the best place to be. I would read this book to students just for a fun read, this is a good book for smaller kids pre-k- 1st grade.
Genre: Picture book
What a beautiful story of a little bird learning how to fly. This is the story of how a little bird can't decide which way is better to go North, South, West, or East. It ultimately decides that home is the best place to be. I would read this book to students just for a fun read, this is a good book for smaller kids pre-k- 1st grade.
Read
May 11, 2020The story is easy to follow and deceptively sophisticated. Very young readers will like how the mother and baby bird interact and how the baby goes exploring to discover "there's no place like home." Did the story wow our reviewer? Only one way to find out.
March 6, 2021
Anthropomorphic tale of a bird taking flight and choosing which direction to go in and which will then be the best fit for its life - bird do this innately hut people don't - seems to be. saying live in one direction, but then don't be afraid. to change directions and try something else.
Another decent Wise Brown read.
Another decent Wise Brown read.
July 8, 2024
It's clear that Brown wasn't ready to publish this while she was still alive. If a reader brings a lot of their own perspective to the story, it can be read as a metaphor for Home is Best or for The Heart Knows Where to Go. But that's not clear from the text, or the art. Also, the art is not to my taste.
Library discard.
Library discard.
February 24, 2017
I was kind of disappointed with this book. I loved the illustrations but I thought the story fell flat. I was confused if the little bird was dreaming or really flying to those places. Young children also don't get the idea of north, south, east and west so it wont connect with them.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews