SOLVED. MG Weird fantasy fiction about a live bird's head (magical) that grows out of a spot in someone's book. 1970s. [s]

[SamSpayedPI]

I read the book in the mid 1970's, no later than 1976 or so.

I haven't got much more, plot-wise, than what's described in the header.

It began with students in a classroom. One of the students noticed a spot on his book that was growing. It eventually formed into a large bird's head.

The class and the teacher decide to try to feed it various things from their lunch boxes. The bird refused an apple, and the teacher asked the poor kid in the class if he knew why. The poor kid said "because his ain't got no worms in it" or something to that effect. His apple had worms, which he extracted, and the bird's head snapped them up.

That's all I really remember. I'm not sure I even read any further than that; I was a little offended at the characterization of the poor kid (saying "ain't got no" and the teacher actually expecting him to have worms in his apple). I think the entire bird eventually emerged, and it was some kind of mythical creature, but I'm not certain.

[Rainbowheart]

Squawwwk!

[SamSpayedPI]

Thanks, Rainbowheart! That's got to be it.

Well, it's not the cover I remember, and there's not much to go on. But I'll make the assumption that there probably aren't two books with that plot. Plus I enjoyed How to Eat Fried Worms, so it's likely that I would have picked up another book by the same author.

[SamSpayedPI]

Marisa wrote: "is this the cover you remember?"

Much closer; thanks!

[Rainbowheart]

Glad to help out!

Sounds like a memorable plot for sure. '70s kids books were so trippy.