by Harriet Ziefert (Author) Travis Foster (Illustrator)
Meet Really Bird, a small bird who lives in a large city park with his friends Cat, Pup, Mouse, and Rabbit. In each story, Really Bird finds himself really wanting something - to be bigger, to have his fair share, or to be the leader - to be really silly, funny, strong, cool, happy, or brave. And when he feels something, he really feels it.
Each story is an entertaining, character-driven narrative based on relatable social/emotional themes, delivered with surprise twists, high drama, and comic timing. Along the way, lessons are learned about qualities such as teamwork and compassion. The emphasis is on character growth and development through creative problem-solving. Friendship and emotional engagement are at the heart of every story.
In I Really Want a Bigger Piece, Really Bird is offered the smallest piece of blueberry pie by his bigger best friends, Cat and Pup. He is really hungry and wants a bigger piece! Really Bird and his pals manage to navigate the oh-so-familiar desire for MORE.
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PreS-Gr 2--In this second story in the "Really Bird" series, our hero shares a blueberry pie with his two friends, Cat and Pup. Really Bird is not pleased with the piece of blueberry pie that Pup gives him. He feels he should get a bigger piece, even though Pup tells him that he got the smallest piece because he is the smallest out of the three friends. Cat also complains that his piece is messy, while Pup says his piece is "purr-fect." Pup realizes his friends are not happy and decides to share the pie equally among them all. In the end, the friends are even able to share pie with other animals. This story shows how Really Bird and his friends handle conflict and use problem-solving to resolve their issue in a positive and fair manner. The text and illustrations align beautifully to showcase the animated interaction of the friends. The end of the book includes scenario questions for adults to discuss with children. VERDICT This is suitable for any collection catering to emerging readers.--Annmarie Braithwaite
Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission."Really's yearning to be first should resonate . . . and Foster's stripped-down but emotionally operatic cartooning tempers with just the right amount of goofiness." - Publishers Weekly of I Really Want to Be First!
"Fans of Elephant and Piggie will REALLY love Ziefert's and Foster's new early comic series. Appearing in speech bubbles, Ziefert's lively text is all dialogue making the story easy for kids to access. Foster's bright and energetic illustrations fill the pages and will captivate kids. As a reading specialist, I love that the stores teach and reinforce positive virtues such as friendship, teamwork, sharing, and kindness." -Beagles and Books
"Perfect for classroom or daycare reading and learning." -Sincerely Stacie
"This series is so well done! The author uses Really Bird and his friends to show real conflicts children have on a day to day basis and how this group of pals works through these situations. Both books present so many wonderful character traits like: compassion, kindness, teamwork etc. As a school counselor, I love the emphasis on being fair and working together towards a solution that will benefit all. I also really value the discussion topics and questions in the back-matter that that can help parents navigate conversations with their children!" - BooksGrowMinds
HARRIET ZIEFERT wears many hats. A graduate of Smith College, she also holds an MA in Education from NYU. She is the bestselling author of more than 250 children's books and has developed easy-to-read series for several major publishing houses. As founder of Blue Apple Books, she has published over 500 titles, many of which have become best-selling modern classics. Since childhood Ziefert has always loved to swing, but now, as the mother of two and grandmother of five, she must wait her turn. Harriet Ziefert lives in the Berkshires, Massachusetts, where she is thankful streams, lakes, rain and snow in the winter.
BRIAN FITZGERALD is an internationally recognized, award-winning illustrator of children's books. He is a graduate of Ireland's National College of Art and Design and has also worked on publishing, editorial, and design projects. Brian Fitzgerald lives near Dublin, a port town on the banks of the river Liffy which flows into the Irish Sea and sometimes, quite often actually, it rains, for which he is thankful.