189 Canaries

In this English-language debut by German author Böge, comprehensive prose in the third-person perspective closely follows the journey of one canary from the Harz Mountains; he works in a silver mine and sings at night until being sold to a bird dealer, who takes him on a journey across the Atlantic Ocean with 188 other canaries: “The light looks gray under the canvas cover. They can hear the gravel under the dealer’s boots.” Mixed-media illustrations by Klever are richly colored and have a fantastical, folkloric feel, following the gently expressive, bright yellow bird. While younger readers may find the dense paragraphs less appealing, older children partial to illustrated animal-centered fiction will find much to appreciate. Back matter includes detailed notes on the history of canaries. Ages 6–10. (Sept.)