The Day I Became a Bird

PreS-Gr 2-This strange and wonderful picture book tells the story of a boy who transforms himself to catch the eye of the one he loves. On the day he first starts school, a young boy falls in love with the girl who sits right in front of him, but Sylvia is an avian lover and has eyes only for birds. Suddenly, the things the boy used to enjoy just don't seem important anymore. Desperate to attract her attention, he constructs a bird costume. In it, he feels handsome and warm, though it does make it hard to climb trees, and he smells like wet dog when it rains. His classmates giggle and stare, but then one day Sylvia sees him and it's worth it all. Delicate and slightly surreal pencil drawings follow the young protagonist through this sweet tale with cinematic precision. The poetic text has a dreamy cadence as it flows through the pages. The young narrator's affection for Sylvia is innocent and endearing, and readers will join him in rejoicing when she finally sees him.