I Am a Bird

I Am a Bird is a great bedtime story. The fact that the character is not mentioned if they are male or female allows it to be an “anyone story.” The illustrations are amazing sweet and simple but wonderfully detailed, too. I would assume by the traditionally stereotypical clothing and hair, that it is a father and son story. Therefore, it would make a nice Father’s Day read-together. However, looking at the cover again, I could easily say this was an older brother or even uncle. The description on Amazon does say father and son, but I would recommend this book to any male person who has a child they spend time with.

 

Dana Walrath has created a prose poem to talk about a day out with a parent/adult and the child’s glee in the world around them. Along with Jamie Kim’s illustrations this would be a fun book to read as a quiet time read or bedtime read. There is a calming effect due to the simple, sparse text and while there are a lot of bright colors they too are soothing. I did not look to see what medium Kim used for the artwork but they do have a watercolor feel to them. The colors are very rich and have that almost brushed look to them. You need to sit and enjoy the story.

 

The fact the characters explore the beach, shore, sand, water, and everything else that can be in the ocean allows this to be a book to use before going on a vacation: Do you think we will see “this item” at the beach? Or to read after a beach trip: Did we see “this item” on the beach?