Two Many Birds

K-Gr 2–A cheerful, watercolor blue sky and green ground set the tone for this story about the power of community. Brightly colored circles, with two dots and a line or two for face and beak, represent a wide variety of birds, short and tall, who wait in line for tickets that will grant a perch in a particular tree. A sign on the tree states that only 100 birds are allowed at a time. Overseeing the line is a grumpy gray bird who shouts out rules: “No running!” “Hey! No fluffin’ the feathers!” “No pooping on the ground!!!” The colorful birds blithely ignore these directives and go about the business of piling into the tree. Once the tree is at maximum capacity, the gray bird goes to lunch. Suddenly, eggs hatch and the tree contains 102 birds. The tree monitor shouts, “Two many birds!!” After an altercation and a pout, the monitor notices an acorn growing into a sprout. Soon the colorful birds join in the nurturing of the sapling. Together they plant rows of trees and grow a vibrant orchard with enough trees for everyone. Some of the humor and details will be lost on young readers, but they will love the end display.