Bird is Dead

March 1, 2024
In this Dutch import, a community of birds comes to terms with the death of one of their own. In the wordless opening spread, a lifeless bird lies face up on the ground. A long-beaked bird looks on disconsolately and then states: "Bird is dead." More gather and experience both denial and shock: "Are you sure he's not sleeping?" and "What? He was still alive yesterday!" Some of the creatures cry; some argue over who will bury him; some mourn the loss; and one even shares, "I thought he was a pest." They bury Bird and say goodbye, absorbing the hard reality of doing so forever and that this means "for always," although one acknowledges that he will live in their heads "forever." This decidedly unsentimental look at death is set on a rolling terrain that could be anywhere; the birds traverse it as if on a stage. Grim humor punctuates the narrative, including at the burial: one bird sings "tra-la-la" and responds, after being chastised, that Bird was always "chirpy" and would probably like to hear it at his funeral. Starreveld renders the avian bodies in patchwork colors and patterns and anthropomorphizes them: at the book's close, they share tea, worms, and cake under lanterns they've hung from the leafless branches of trees. This plainspoken and candid lens on death is a conversation-starter. See also Brown and Robinson's The Dead Bird (rev. 5/16) and Yumoto and Sakai's The Bear and the Wildcat (rev. 3/23) for similar approaches to children's natural curiosity about the subject of death. Julie Danielson

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

March 15, 2024
Preschool-Grade 2 Bird has died. A friend discovers the body lying still on the ground and spreads the word. Bird's many companions react in different ways: one believes Bird is simply sleeping but is told that "On your back + feet up = dead." Another doesn't believe it can be true as "He was still alive yesterday!" A few feel the need to cry, while still another wants to bury their deceased friend immediately. Some in the group say that Bird was their best friend, while a couple of others air their opinion that he was a pest and that he always helped himself to the best food. Beautifully executed collage illustrations, with hills in the background resembling layered tissue-paper, are eye-catching. The pictures portray a diversity in the birds' plumage and beaks, revealing each one as a distinct individual with their own thoughts and feelings. Translated from the Dutch, the honest, matter-of-fact portrayal of what occurs after someone dies is laid out in a tale to which young children can relate.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

April 1, 2024
A community of birds finds, mourns, and buries one of their own. Margaret Wise Brown's The Dead Bird, illustrated by Remy Charlip in 1958 and then by Christian Robinson in a 2016 edition, portrayed children discussing death's finality and enacting grown-up rituals over a deceased bird. This Dutch import is imbued with a kindred spirit, although here the childlike, direct dialogue comes from within the flock. On an overcast, gray-green day, a bird observes the still creature. This realist assures the shocked newcomers who gather that the prone bird is not sleeping: "On your back + feet up = dead" and "You see, it can all be over in a heartbeat." As in any group, one member is task oriented (wanting to take care of the burial), while some focus on protocol (what to say, what to sing); many cry. Some are bossy; others are peacekeepers. The creators imbue the tale with humorous and poignant touches. Each bird has a distinct shape, and exquisitely designed, mixed-media, patchwork collages take the place of plumage. Snippets of pink add warmth. Sun rays break through the clouds after the funeral, offering a jumping-off point to a spiritual dimension for those who are so inclined. As tea, worms, and cake are served at nightfall, the bereaved remind each other that although forever is final, Bird will always live on in their heads. Honest words and arresting characters model the essential elements for one of life's most difficult conversations. (Picture book. 4-7)

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

April 5, 2024

PreS-Gr 3-The title spells it out. A group of patchwork birds discovers that one of their friends has died. They move through stages of grief together, from shock and disbelief to sadness to acceptance. In short bursts of very direct dialogue, the friends share the news and process their feelings together. The matter-of-fact tone and characters' range of reactions could give children and families a model for asking their own questions and expressing complicated and even contradictory feelings. Illustrations appear to be mixed-media collage with ink details. Each bird is distinct. Some wear hats, and most have pointy beaks and sharp talons; some children will not find these visually comforting. In one wordless spread, the group trudges across a bleak, cloudy landscape to the burial spot, dragging the body of their friend past bare, thorny trees. However, the return trip across the same landscape is brightened by a ray of sunshine. The book ends with the group gathered around a lantern-lit tree trunk, sharing tea, cake, and worms, along with stories of their friend. Important topics, both death and grief are dealt with in a spare, straightforward manner. The language and mood are not sugarcoated in the slightest, making this is a strong addition to sections on loss and mourning, alongside Margaret Wise Brown's The Dead Bird and Anastasia Higginbotham's Death Is Stupid. VERDICT A solid purchase for collections on grief.-Jennifer Costa

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2024
In this Dutch import, a community of birds comes to terms with the death of one of their own. In the wordless opening spread, a lifeless bird lies face up on the ground. A long-beaked bird looks on disconsolately and then states: "Bird is dead." More gather and experience both denial and shock: "Are you sure he's not sleeping?" and "What? He was still alive yesterday!" Some of the creatures cry; some argue over who will bury him; some mourn the loss; and one even shares, "I thought he was a pest." They bury Bird and say goodbye, absorbing the hard reality of doing so forever and that this means "for always," although one acknowledges that he will live in their heads "forever." This decidedly unsentimental look at death is set on a rolling terrain that could be anywhere; the birds traverse it as if on a stage. Grim humor punctuates the narrative, including at the burial: one bird sings "tra-la-la" and responds, after being chastised, that Bird was always "chirpy" and would probably like to hear it at his funeral. Starreveld renders the avian bodies in patchwork colors and patterns and anthropomorphizes them: at the book's close, they share tea, worms, and cake under lanterns they've hung from the leafless branches of trees. This plainspoken and candid lens on death is a conversation-starter. See also Brown and Robinson's The Dead Bird (rev. 5/16) and Yumoto and Sakai's The Bear and the Wildcat (rev. 3/23) for similar approaches to children's natural curiosity about the subject of death.

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)