The Dead Bird

Brown's 1938 story, best known from a 1958 version illustrated by Remy Charlip, describes a group of children who discover a dead bird. Robinson (Leo: A Ghost Story) pictures a verdant urban park, where four children--one dressed as a red fox, another wearing blue fairy wings--frolic with a big gray dog. The sad news arrives on the first page: "The bird was dead when the children found it." The frowning children gently lift the small brown bird, finding "it was still warm and its eyes were closed.... But there was no heart beating. That was how they knew it was dead." They solemnly bury the bird under the leafy trees, improvise a mourning song, and surround a stone marker with summer flowers, behaving "the way grown-up people did when someone died." Even as the children imitate grief in response to the wild bird's death, they genuinely grieve the joy that has been lost: "You'll never fly again," they realize. Robinson's illustrations hint at how the improvised funeral enables the children to acknowledge impermanence, his close-ups capturing their concentration as they assemble the memorial. Brown takes a direct approach to a difficult subject, suggesting how community rituals provide solace. Robinson concludes with a wide-angle view of growing trees and the children flying a kite, implying a return to carefree fun and putting a poignant distance between the tiny figures and readers. Ages 4-8. Illustrator's agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Mar.)

PreS-Gr 2--Brown's classic, featuring children who find, bury, and eulogize a deceased bird, was originally illustrated in 1958 by Remy Charlip. That's a tough act to follow, but Robinson thoughtfully pays homage to his predecessor while bringing something new to the telling. The text is identical, but the book's orientation shifts from horizontal to vertical and from a limited palette to full color. Charlip's version alternates between spreads with sentences on blank white backgrounds and wordless scenes, encouraging unhurried reflection. Robinson's painted and digital compositions (also emphasizing life-affirming green) home in on diverse, expressive faces and pull back to show enchanting woodland scenes; these perspectives similarly help readers engage with and find relief from the emotional content. One girl wears butterfly wings, while a boy sports a fox mask and tail. Along with the dog who licks a sweet, sad face, these details tie the children more closely to the bird's realm. They also support the spirit of make-believe accompanying the decision to "have a funeral and sing to it the way grown-up people did when someone died." Brown's honesty--"That was the way animals got when they had been dead for some time--cold dead and stone still with no heart beating"--has been both lauded and criticized. Robinson provides new access to her rituals and the notion that it is OK, eventually, to return to play--and kite flying. That kite soars up into birdland and references Remy one last time. VERDICT A lovely book befitting its lineage.--Wendy Lukehart, District of Columbia Public Library