Synopses & Reviews
Calvin is one unusual starling! While his siblings and cousins learn to fly, this rare bird lets his imagination soar while reading about pirates, dinosaurs, and other fascinating things. The other birds call him and#8220;geeky beaky,and#8221; but Calvin just ruffles his feathers and buries his beak in a book. Yet, when it comes time to migrate, poor Calvin suddenly realizes he can't fly!and#160; His sisters, brothers, and cousins carry him into the air.
But on their way south, the winds blow hard, the trees bend, and the air starts to smell strange. It's a hurricane, and only Calvin can save the day-because he has read all about it!
Witty illustrations, an endearing hero, and a delightful story make this a true celebration of the pleasures of reading!
Review
"The irresistible story of a proud bookworm will put smiles on the faces of readers of all ages. Calvin is a young starling with a huge family. While his brothers, sisters and 67,432 cousins are off discovering nature and learning to fly, Calvin is content to keep his beak in a good bookand#8212;books will take him places his wings never could, after all. When the season changes and it is time to migrate, Calvin realizes he was too busy learning...to learn how to fly! His loving family find a way to bring him along, but they run into treacherous weather along their journey. Luckily, Calvin has read just what to do and saves his entire flock. The illustrations are wildly original and full of funny details (check out the highly technical flight classes and the cows' lipstick). With their stick legs, flat heads and fluffy hair(s), the starlings are endearingly comical. Between its heartwarming (but never treacly) story and quirky illustrations, this tale should be a staple among book-loving families as well as in libraries and elementary classrooms for years to come." --Kirkus Reviews, Starred Reviewand#160;"In a lively children's book debut, Bendis contributes gouache cartoons that bring action and droll wit to Berne's (Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau) story about valuable experiences to be found both inside and outside books. Young starling Calvinand#8212;humorously depicted as a squarish, wide-eyed bird with long, spindly legsand#8212;is a loner. While his seven siblings and more than 67,000 cousins ('Starlings have big families') learn how to fly, Calvin spends his days reading. Hurt by taunts of 'nerdy birdie' and 'geeky beaky,' the book lover waddles to the library, 'the only place where he was happy.' When it's time to head south for the winter and Calvin still doesn't know how to fly, the other starlings gamely tie strings to him to tow him along. An approaching hurricane gives Calvin a chance to show off his book smarts ('We need to get out of the path of a violent, tropical weather system, which... will not diminish until it encounters large stretches of landmass!'). Regular doses of humor in the text and art happily keep the story from migrating into sentimentality. - Publisher's Weekly
Synopsis
Elwood Bigfoot is big, LOUD . . . and lonely. Itand#39;s hard for him to make friendsandmdash;especially with the tiny birdies whose chirps and cheerful songs help him feel less alone. But whenever a hopeful Elwood hollers at a birdie to STAY, the scared creature flies away. Will Elwood ever find a way to befriend the birdies?
Synopsis
"Teeny is 'toadally' terrific. . . . A triumphant reaffirmation of the truth that large hearts can beat in small chests, told in playful verse that gallops along with nary a stumble." --Kirkus Reviews
When a giant hand scoops up her mama and puts her in a pail, a terrified tiny toad named Teeny hops faster than she ever did in her life. "Mama's stuck inside a bucket Help me get her out " she begs her big, clumsy brothers. "Don't you worry, kid. We'll save her " they promise, bumbling and stumbling and jumbling out the door. But as the boys rush headlong to the rescue, pushing their little sister aside, it becomes clear: brawn isn't always better than brains--and the smallest of the family may just be the smartest one of all. Written in lilting verse, this teeny book packs in humor, emotion, and triumphant girl power.
Synopsis
Elwood Bigfoot is big, clumsy, LOUD . . . and lonely. Itand#39;s hard for him to make friendsandmdash;especially with the tiny, delicate birdies he loves so much. Each flash of their feathers, each chirp and cheerful song helps him feel less alone. But whenever a birdie swoops by, and Elwood hollers at it to STAY, the scared creature flies away. He tries everything: sitting on a branch, having a housewarming party, even building an amusement park with snacks and pools. But nothing helpsandmdash;until Elwood finally learns how to make his bird dreams come true.
Synopsis
While his siblings and cousins learn to fly, Calvin lets his imagination soar by burying his beak in a book. The others call him and#8220;geeky beaky,and#8221; but he just ruffles his feathers. When it comes time to migrate, Calvin realizes he canand#8217;t fly and his family has to carry him. But on their way south, they fly into a hurricane and only Calvin can save the dayand#8212;because he has read about it! A true celebration of the pleasure of reading.
Synopsis
When a giant hand scoops up her mama, Teeny the tiny toad hops like lightning to her big brothers: andquot;Mamaandrsquo;s stuck inside a bucket! Help!andrdquo; andldquo;Donandrsquo;t you worry, kid. Weandrsquo;ll save her!andrdquo; the boys promise. But as the brothers bumble and stumble to the rescue, it becomes clear: brawn canand#39;t always beat brains, and the smallest girl may be the smartest of all.
Synopsis
When a giant hand scoops up her mama and puts her in a pail, a terrified tiny toad named Teeny hops faster than she ever did in her life. andquot;Mamaandrsquo;s stuck inside a bucket! Help me get her out!andrdquo; she begs her big, clumsy brothers. andldquo;Donandrsquo;t you worry, kid. Weandrsquo;ll save her!andrdquo; they promise, bumbling and stumbling and jumbling out the door. But as the boys rush headlong to the rescue, pushing their little sister aside, it becomes clear: brawn isnand#39;t always better than brainsandmdash;and the smallest of the family may just be the smartest one of all.and#160; Written in lilting verse, this teeny book packs in humor, emotion, and triumphant girl power.
About the Author
Jill Esbaum is the award-winning author of many picture books, including
I Am Cow, Hear Me Moo! and
I Hatched! (both Penguin). She also enjoys writing a variety of nonfiction books for National Geographic Kids, including the popular Angry Birds Playground series. Jill lives on a farm in Iowa. Learn more at jillesbaum.com and picturebookbuilders.com.
and#160;
Nate Wragg is an art director, illustrator, and Bigfoot enthusiast. Some of the books heand#39;s illustrated include Too Many Cooks, by Margaret McNamara (Disney), Goldi Rocks, by Corey Rosen Schwartz and Beth Coulton (Penguin), and At The Old Haunted House, by Helen Ketteman (Amazon). He lives in Southern California with his family.