Beaky CL

Beaky is a confused little bird. He hatches on the forest floor, far away from his family, and can't figure out what he is. All he knows is that he can't compete with Snake for slithering (he's ``too short'') nor with Fish for swimming (``too fluffy''). One day, lured up a tree trunk by a compelling melody, he finds himself wandering high into the branches. Beaky is lonely and scared, until in the morning he hears the sound again. He finds it is coming from a grown-up verson of himself and discovers he is a bird . . . ``a bird of Paradise.'' Cartoony illustrations of this expressive little bird are set in imaginative, verdant surroundings. It is an uplifting moment when Beaky discovers his true identity and soars above the treetops. Ages 2-8. (Sept.)