Fly, Little Bird

Pictures tell this tender tale of a girl who discovers a chick too young to fly and nurtures the bird to independence. The title serves as the paper-over-board book's only text, and appears once at the beginning, with sad connotations, and again at the end, in an exhilarating finale. The story opens with a two-part depiction of the bird's rescue: on the left, the girl and her dog appear against an expansive white background, while the right-hand page presents a full-bleed close-up of the girl's hand pulling aside a branch on which the forlorn bird sits. A similar scene appears at the end, with one significant change, bringing the story full circle. Sequences of events take the form of panel-like vignettes; for example, three rectangular frames capture the bird's initial failed flying attempt. In other panel illustrations, the bird participates in the girl's activities: reading, homework, painting (the bird poses for his portrait). At last, he flies while girl and dog bounce delightedly on the bed, oblivious to what the bird's flight portends (a series of images shows a branch on the girl's nightstand with the bird perched upon it, then the empty branch). All the more poignant for its eloquent simplicity, this tale will likely find a home in many young readers' hearts, and is especially well-suited to preschoolers just learning about letting go. Ages 2-6. (Mar.)