Review first posted to Front Street Reviews
Stars: ***1/2
Summary: Charlie Bird, The Best Bird Ever is a children’s book about a small parrot named Charlie. It highlights his life with his “featherless flock” Sara, and Molly. He is a very mischievous little bird, who is constantly proding entertainment for Sara and Molly. There is another element to the book. Charlie befriends four wild birds. He and Rusty, the ring leader of the wild birds, decide to trade places. This leads to surprising adventures for both birds.
Charlie Bird, The Best Bird Ever is a children’s book about a small parrot named Charlie. It highlights his life with his “featherless flock” Sara, and Molly. He is a very mischievous little bird, who is constantlyproviding entertainment for Sara and Molly. There is another element to the book. Charlie befriends four wild birds. He and Rusty, the ring leader of the wild birds, decide to trade places. This leads to surprising adventures for both birds.
This book from Outskirts Press is a cute little book that would be perfect for bird lovers or children who are interested in getting a bird as a pet. Charlie is a parrot but Charlie’s bird friends are all different kinds of birds.If you have never lived with a bird, you will learn what day to day life is like with one. Feeding and caring, playing and communicating are all featured here.The text is interspersed with small photographs and some computer clipart which illustrates what is being talked about. See Charlie tearing apart a roll of toilet paper, eating out of the girls’ cereal bowl or stacking bottle caps to make a perch.
The photos of Charlie and his surroundings are all real while some of the photos of his pals and the ones of Sara and Molly are fake.It’s not a professionally made book, the text looks like it was just printed off the computer and the photos are quite grainy. I think the book would have been better with clear photos. If the author couldn’t get photos of two real girls, then she could have at least found better fake photos.
The story itself is good. It depicts life with a bird but also has an actual tale to follow. What Charlie and Rusty felt and thought while they were trading places seemed believable. It is what I would expect if birds could talk. The only exception with regards to realism is how Charlie and Rusty trade places. Without spoiling too much, I’ll just say it was “Magic.” I’m interested in reading further books about Charlie Bird or anything else Linda Bird writes.
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