Check It Out - Little Bird

LITTLE BIRD (written by Germano Zullo and illustrated by Albertine)

This picture book, imported from Switzerland, is both quirky and surprisingly sweet. 

The story, told completely by the pictures, is simple.  A man drives a truck across a great orange desert to the edge of a cliff where he releases a flock of multicolored birds. 

Left behind is a small black bird that has to be persuaded to leave.  The man, a bald fellow with a big belly and a bigger heart, demonstrates flying motions on one comical page.  He celebrates as the bird flies away to join the flock and then is treated to a sail through the sky as the birds return and lift him into the air.

At first, the words seem to be from an entirely different book.  They are simple statements about life – just a few repetitive words per page:  “The small things are treasures.”  “True treasures.”  Not a word about birds, trucks, or flight.

Still, if you read the book a few times, which you are sure to do if you pick it up and take it home, it comes together into a lovely meditation on what is good and kind and right in the world.  Refreshing.

Choosing to ignore the words altogether, the animators at Earth Design Works have turned the book into an enjoyable video.  But, as usual, I like the book better and suggest that you check it out at the for children ages three through six.