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Broadway Bird
A charming and heartfelt picture book about a little bird who dreams of making it big on Broadway, from Tony Award-winning Broadway director Alex Timbers.
What Louisa loved most about living in Times Square wasn't the buzzzz of the city...
No, it was that she could sing as loud as she wanted. She could sing all day and she could sing all night.
Louisa was truly a Broadway bird.
Louisa is a tiny parakeet with a HUGE dream: to be a Broadway star. But no matter what she does, everyone keeps telling her she's too small to make it big! When a chance at her big break comes, Louisa learns that no matter how small you are, with a little talent and a lot of hard work, you can do anything - even be on Broadway!
With colorful, charming illustrations by artist Alisa Coburn, this heartfelt picture book from renowned Broadway director Alex Timbers is about persistence, believing in yourself, and, of course, the magic of Broadway.
What Louisa loved most about living in Times Square wasn't the buzzzz of the city...
No, it was that she could sing as loud as she wanted. She could sing all day and she could sing all night.
Louisa was truly a Broadway bird.
Louisa is a tiny parakeet with a HUGE dream: to be a Broadway star. But no matter what she does, everyone keeps telling her she's too small to make it big! When a chance at her big break comes, Louisa learns that no matter how small you are, with a little talent and a lot of hard work, you can do anything - even be on Broadway!
With colorful, charming illustrations by artist Alisa Coburn, this heartfelt picture book from renowned Broadway director Alex Timbers is about persistence, believing in yourself, and, of course, the magic of Broadway.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published May 24, 2022
2 people are currently reading
40 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
June 14, 2022
This picture book, though, isn't about landing a specific role. Instead it's about perseverance, practice, and a belief in one's abilities. By the end of the book she's had her chance on stage after working her way there.
http://pussreboots.com/blog/2022/comm...
http://pussreboots.com/blog/2022/comm...
April 1, 2023
Louisa is a parakeet who loves to sing. She gets the opportunity to audition, but it doesn't go so well.
With the guidance of an experienced flamingo, she may discover her own perseverance and voice on Broadway.
Written by Tony-Award winning Director Alex Timbers (Moulin Rouge, Beetlejuice the musical, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, and Peter and the Starcatcher to name a few) and illustrated so cutely by Alisa Coburn, this humorous take on Broadway is one for the Animals.
This is perfect for fans of SING!, Zootopia (as the illustrations are on par and/or better) or Cats Don't Dance films and affiliated books.
The book also features a search-and-find of famous Broadway stars hidden throughout the book (all as animals) with very clever names, including Elaine Ostrich, Kelli O'Hare, Angela Lamsbury and more.
A perfect read aloud for the Tony Awards in June;
With the guidance of an experienced flamingo, she may discover her own perseverance and voice on Broadway.
Written by Tony-Award winning Director Alex Timbers (Moulin Rouge, Beetlejuice the musical, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, and Peter and the Starcatcher to name a few) and illustrated so cutely by Alisa Coburn, this humorous take on Broadway is one for the Animals.
This is perfect for fans of SING!, Zootopia (as the illustrations are on par and/or better) or Cats Don't Dance films and affiliated books.
The book also features a search-and-find of famous Broadway stars hidden throughout the book (all as animals) with very clever names, including Elaine Ostrich, Kelli O'Hare, Angela Lamsbury and more.
A perfect read aloud for the Tony Awards in June;
June 1, 2022
The world needs more parakeet books please.
September 17, 2022
Sweeney TOAD
ChicaGOAT
Mean GULLS
CAMELton
The WEASEL of Oz
My Fair LLAMA
Followed by IGUANA Menzel
OTTER MacDonald
CHEETAH Rivera
Patti LuPONY
The story of a parakeet who wants to play Elphaba on Broadway. What is there NOT to love about this book. Any Broadway lover will adore it!
ChicaGOAT
Mean GULLS
CAMELton
The WEASEL of Oz
My Fair LLAMA
Followed by IGUANA Menzel
OTTER MacDonald
CHEETAH Rivera
Patti LuPONY
The story of a parakeet who wants to play Elphaba on Broadway. What is there NOT to love about this book. Any Broadway lover will adore it!
February 27, 2024
Lots of fun if you are a Broadway fan! I started grinning as soon as I opened the book and saw the end papers covered with punny Broadway posters advertising such shows as The Weasel of Oz, Sweeney Toad, Mean Gulls and My Fair Llama. Louise the Parakeet is so cute and, of course, she would be perfect to play the lead role of the witch in a certain very famous musical -- I mean, Louise can sing, she's green, and she can really FLY (no need for wires here, folks!). But, she's so... tiny. She feels defeated when casting directors keep passing her up. But, she's inspired by an elderly flamingo waitress who was in the Ziegfeld Water Fowl-ies of 1940 and reminds her that she faced a lot of rejection before she got her big breaks. "You're only as small as you feel," she tells Louise. And Louise realizes she doesn't feel small at all and tries again. She becomes understudy to Iguana Menzel for the witch and you can guess where the rest of the story goes. It's unabashedly rose-colored-glasses but I'm okay with the message that you can do anything you put your mind to when it's for this very young audience. (Older kids, of course, will learn all quickly that with the arts sometimes it doesn't matter how badly you want something if the natural talent or lucky breaks aren't there.) Illustrations are generally fun and Louise is super cute. Loved the last section with portraits of all the Broadway stars peppered throughout the book (just wish their actual full names were given). Can you find Angela Lambsbury? Patti LuPony? Gene Pelly (Pelican)? Dick Van Duck? Otter McDonald? Lemur Salonga? LOL!
*I would have given four stars but I do have a quibble with Louisa sneaking into the theater to watch a performance early on in the book. Not cool. The arts are suffering enough as it is, don't have the main character promote behavior that disrespects not only the hard work and expense that goes into putting on a production, but all the theater patrons who actually paid for their seats.
*I would have given four stars but I do have a quibble with Louisa sneaking into the theater to watch a performance early on in the book. Not cool. The arts are suffering enough as it is, don't have the main character promote behavior that disrespects not only the hard work and expense that goes into putting on a production, but all the theater patrons who actually paid for their seats.
September 13, 2024
Louisa may be a tiny parakeet, but her dreams are anything but small! This charming story is a celebration of believing in yourself, no matter how ambitious your dreams are. Louisa’s journey to Broadway is filled with perseverance, hope, and delightful animal-inspired Broadway puns that will make both kids and adults smile.
Perfect for young readers who love music and theatre, this book is a reminder that with a little talent and a lot of hard work, even the smallest can shine on the biggest stages! This is enjoyable for all ages but younger kids or those less familiar with musicals may find themselves missing out on a lot of the cleverness of the story. The play Louisa ends up in is clearly Wicked and there are animal-inspired Broadway puns throughout the book. From the plays themselves like MeanGulls, Chicagoat, and Sweeney Toad, and famous Broadway stars including Elaine Ostrich, Kelli O’Hare, Angela Lamsbury and more. It’s not necessary to get all of the references to enjoy the book but I think it makes the experience even more special.
Perfect for young readers who love music and theatre, this book is a reminder that with a little talent and a lot of hard work, even the smallest can shine on the biggest stages! This is enjoyable for all ages but younger kids or those less familiar with musicals may find themselves missing out on a lot of the cleverness of the story. The play Louisa ends up in is clearly Wicked and there are animal-inspired Broadway puns throughout the book. From the plays themselves like MeanGulls, Chicagoat, and Sweeney Toad, and famous Broadway stars including Elaine Ostrich, Kelli O’Hare, Angela Lamsbury and more. It’s not necessary to get all of the references to enjoy the book but I think it makes the experience even more special.
February 4, 2022
Louisa Parakeet wants to be a big Broadway star. Her biggest challenge is she's so small. She's a parakeet, and while she can sing her heart out and has huge hopes and dream, the casting agents just aren't interested. Until she sees Iguana Menzel in the Weasel of Oz. Then she knows, she just needs to be bigger! Bigger singing, bigger dancing, bigger talent. Now she'll get noticed.
Alright - this is a very cute story about working hard to make your dreams come true, but the real gem is all the funny Broadway references shifted slightly to be about animals. The end papers . . . shows like Sweeney Toad and Mean Gulls - Broadway fans are going to love all the nods to popular shows and stars (Patty LuPony, Otter McDonald!) And the bios at the back, like the book was a playbill. I give Broadway Bird a standing ovation.
Cross posted to http://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com
Alright - this is a very cute story about working hard to make your dreams come true, but the real gem is all the funny Broadway references shifted slightly to be about animals. The end papers . . . shows like Sweeney Toad and Mean Gulls - Broadway fans are going to love all the nods to popular shows and stars (Patty LuPony, Otter McDonald!) And the bios at the back, like the book was a playbill. I give Broadway Bird a standing ovation.
Cross posted to http://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com
December 27, 2021
Broadway fans of all ages will love this story about persistence and heart. Louisa Parakeet was hatched for Broadway, but the poor songbird keeps getting rejected for being too small. Finally, she gets her big break understudying for Iguana Menzel and takes Broadway by storm. Brava to Alisa Coburns' joyful illustrations (especially the endpapers). As a huge theatre nerd myself, I loved all the clever references (including Patti LuPony, Guys & Dogs, and The Weasel of Oz), yet I found Louisa's last line ("You're perfect as you are. And with talent and hard work, you can be anything.") to be a bit didactic.
I accessed a digital ARC via Edelweiss.
I accessed a digital ARC via Edelweiss.
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October 16, 2022“Just because you’re little doesn’t mean you can’t be big.”
Louisa Parakeet has had one dream since she hatched: being on Broadway! Though Louisa has gone to countless auditions, she’s always told that she’s too small to become a star. Louisa soon starts to believe she’ll never make it big. But after watching a brand new musical, and getting a pep talk from a former dancer, Louisa’s determination grows. She nails her next audition and finally becomes a Broadway bird!
I saw Broadway Bird at The Drama Book Shop earlier this summer (it was my first time in New York). As a theatre-lover and picture book enthusiast, I knew I had to take this book home. Amongst the many things I adored about this story, I particularly enjoyed... To read the rest of this review, head over to our website: Broadway Bird | Alex Timbers
Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and Facebook @pinereadsreview and check out our website at www.pinereadsreview.com for reviews, author interviews, blogs, podcast episodes, and more!
Louisa Parakeet has had one dream since she hatched: being on Broadway! Though Louisa has gone to countless auditions, she’s always told that she’s too small to become a star. Louisa soon starts to believe she’ll never make it big. But after watching a brand new musical, and getting a pep talk from a former dancer, Louisa’s determination grows. She nails her next audition and finally becomes a Broadway bird!
I saw Broadway Bird at The Drama Book Shop earlier this summer (it was my first time in New York). As a theatre-lover and picture book enthusiast, I knew I had to take this book home. Amongst the many things I adored about this story, I particularly enjoyed... To read the rest of this review, head over to our website: Broadway Bird | Alex Timbers
Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and Facebook @pinereadsreview and check out our website at www.pinereadsreview.com for reviews, author interviews, blogs, podcast episodes, and more!
May 23, 2022
I simply adored this book! As a lover of all things Broadway this was so adorable and with a fantastic lesson behind it! This little bird wants to make it big on Broadway and is not taken seriously until she realizes that no matter your size, you can be what you want to be!
Loved the play on words/names and the illustrations were perfectly done!! Bravo! Standing ovation all around from this fan!
Loved the play on words/names and the illustrations were perfectly done!! Bravo! Standing ovation all around from this fan!
January 10, 2023
This picture book is a cute and enjoyable story for fans of Broadway filled with eastereggs in the illustrations. Most of the live entertainment pop culture references will go over the heads of people who aren't New York based Broadaway fans and certainly won't be noticed by child readers. The story has a simple but positive moral message about overcoming rejection and being yourself.
June 13, 2023
Ok I know this is a picture book but this was too good not to include on my list, as a musical theater nerd this was so adorable and all the references to big names and musicals in theatre were so funny. And I gotta say, as a short girl I did relate to the main character bird (who's main issue was that casting directors said she was too small to be on Broadway) and that made this even better.
May 2, 2022
If you’re a Broadway musical aficionado, you will love the humorously charming allusions to so many plays and performers, and if you’re a champion of determination and perseverance, you will love the story and message this children’s book for all ages delivers.
Sing out, Louisa!
Sing out, Louisa!
May 11, 2022
Broadway Bird is a lovely tale for children carrying the important message that one must be true to their own dreams despite all the obstacles life provides along the way. Indeed, facing life's challenges with encouragement from within is the point. The illustrations are delightful.
September 22, 2022
A combination of all of my favorite things: an overload of musical references, a familiar setting I adore, a lovely animal population of speaking characters perfect for funny voices at storytime, and a heartwarming message about following your dreams ✨ this one gets a 10/10 from me
May 1, 2022
A superbly entertaining children’s book! Wonderful story with very clever names and beautiful illustrations.
A must for every child and parent!!!
A must for every child and parent!!!
June 20, 2022
A fun nod to famous broadway stars
August 9, 2022
An absolute must for young fans of musical theatre.
October 20, 2022
The humor, the message, and the illustrations make this book a sweet read for all ages. Of course the connection to Broadway makes it even better!
January 6, 2023
Good story about being confident and following your dreams. There is a bit of humor for adults reading it as well.
January 17, 2023
Any picture book about Broadway is gonna be a yes for me. 🤩 Loved that sweet parakeet and all the musical and actor puns!
May 10, 2023
A sweet look at showbiz. Love a good Broadway pun.
July 3, 2023
This cute picture book has a predictable trajectory and a typical message about following your dreams. The clever, punny names for different characters will delight fans of musical theater.
June 18, 2024
A great book with a positive message about not giving up. I just wish the book was bigger. The book and illustrations are very small.
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July 14, 2024🦜:🎶oo-woah-oh-ooooh🎶
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews