Review by New York Times Review
WE ALL NEED A REMINDER of what the word "friend" used to mean before the social media era, when it signified a lot more than being a "follower." Four new friendthemed picture books offer a much-needed favor to humanity in reminding us of what it takes to find, keep and take good care of true friends. All of these may be referred to as children's books - but I beg to differ. These books have big messages useful for any stage of life. Being a twin myself, I smiled as I read the opening words of "Yak & Dove," written by Kyo Maclear ("The Wish Tree"): "If we were twins ..." Little Dove ponders this with her huge furry friend, Yak, with whom she is clearly, not even remotely twin-ish. As they begin to focus on how different they are, the friends drift apart. A long and funny search for a new friend ensues, aided by a matchmaking Marmot. Upon refining Yak's requirements for a friend, Marmot reveals Yak's ideal match, which is, of course (spoiler alert), his dear old friend, Dove. Every page of Esme Shapiro's art is suitable for framing. She has created a lush world inspired by the Central Asian region where yaks are found. There's a bonus story at the end of the book called "Yak and Quiet," a cautionary tale of how the "static" of technology can ruin the tranquillity of friendship. This really could have been its own book, but for the reader it's an extra treat. There's a similarly clever idea behind "Molly & Mae": comparing friendships to train travel. Some parts of the journey are smooth, but inevitably there will be rough spots. The sparse prose by Danny Parker ("Parachute") takes us on the sweet voyage of two friends riding the rails together, and riding out a disagreement. Young Molly meets another 7-ish-year-old, Mae, who is hiding under a bench in the station. They play and tumble around together, and by the time they board the train less than an hour later, they are friends "forever" - even when Mae gets "tired of being bossed around" and they exchange angry words. Their expedition takes them through what looks like English countryside. Freya Blackwood's ("My Two Blankets") wispy watercolors are luscious, dreamy and packed with detail. She missed an opportunity, though, to add some diversity to the crowds in the stations and the many passengers on the train. The book's world is weirdly white. Still, "Molly & Mae" shows us how a few kind words after a fight can build bridges and move friendship smoothly along the rambling rails of life. Two sheep, one a knitter, the other a reader, are living a quiet and idyllic life in a trailer in a field. But the cover of "Baabwaa & Wooliam" hints that there's trouble in paradise. Look closely and you'll see a wolf poking out of the nearby forest. Written by David Elliott (the Orq books), this hilarious romp shares a timely and powerful message - that even our enemies can become friends when we discover common threads and common stories. Melissa Sweet's ("Some Writer!") outstanding art is whimsical and playful. 1 can feel when an artist had fun illustrating a book, and I'm certain Sweet had a wildly good time bringing Elliott's words to life. While we see a lovely transformation in the wolf, who becomes quite good friends with the pair of woolly pals, his wolf instincts remain intact, and there are some highly entertaininscenes of Baabwaa and Wooliam being chased about the property. Elliott gives the tale a nice twist, showing the wolf ultimately becoming an avid reader. As a bookshop owner, 1 appreciate books like this that show how delicious reading a real book can be. That low-tech gospel is more important than ever these days, and so it's great to see that Nerdy Birdy is back - with a mission. This delightful sequel sweetly reminds us how tweets and clicks can drive wedges between us and creates an extremely connected universe at the same time. "Nerdy Birdy Tweets" will strike a chord with all those who have experienced how cellphones and devices have unraveled the fabric of relationships. Adults reading this book may even feel a bit uncomfortable, as the message will probably resonate more deeply with them than it will with young children. Matt Davies's wonderfully inky lines and wildly splashy watercolor images bring to life two unlikely friends - one a small bird and the other a very big vulture. The chuckles only increase as Nerdy Birdy's collection of so-called friends grows, until you realize that Vulture, a true friend, is not only being ignored, he is hurt deeply when Nerdy Birdy thoughtlessly shares something with his followers meant to be private between the two friends. Aaron Reynolds ("Creepy Carrots") has created an important reminder to cherish our real friends. Nurturing friendship, this book reminds us, takes effort that includes the urgent task of turning off all devices, with two exceptions: your heart and your brain. PETER H. REYNOLDS is the author and illustrator of many picture books, including "Happy Dreamer," "Ish" and "The Dot."
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [April 7, 2019]
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Nerdy Birdy and Vulture, who became pals in 2015's Nerdy Birdy, return in this social media-themed sequel, which puts their relationship to the test after Nerdy Birdy starts making online friends on Tweetster and ignoring the friend right in front of him. After @nerdybirdy tweets an unflattering lunch photo of @vulturegirl ("She eats dead things. Ewwwwwww!!"), Vulture has had enough, leading to a line that seems to sum up the book's reason for existence: "Just because you thought it, doesn't mean you should tweet it." It's advice that translates just fine to nondigital situations ("If you can't say something nice..."), but despite Reynolds's sharp dialogue and Davies's appealingly ugly-cute illustrations, the plot feels mismatched to the book's audience-though kids will get the Angry Worms reference just fine. Ages 4-8. Agent: Paul Rodeen, Rodeen Literary Management. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Horn Book Review
Diminutive, bespectacled, smartphone-carrying Nerdy Birdy and hulking, hooded-eyed, lunchbox-toting Vulture make an odd-couple pair of best friends: Nerdy Birdy loves playing video games. Vulture thinks video games are boring.Vulture loves snacking on dead things. Nerdy Birdy thinks dead things are gross. The friendship works well, though--good-natured ribbing and all--until Nerdy Birdy discovers social media. Nerdy Birdy joins Tweetster and is immediately consumed. All of a sudden, hes more concerned with the attention of his virtual friends than of his actual one. Then Nerdy Birdy goes too far by posting a dis of Vulture: @vulturegirl is a messy eater. She eats dead things. Ewwwwwww!! Vulture flies off in a huff, and Nerdy Birdy must make amends. The story avoids preachiness by incorporating myriad LOL-worthy details into the wry text and scratchy pen-and-ink and watercolor cartoon illustrations; the picture of Vulture chowing down is funny and gross, and most importantly, it is a part of the established teasing culture of the pairs friendship--which doesnt let Nerdy Birdy off the hook, but you can see where hes coming from. Theres a lesson here about how easy it is to misread and misuse tone when it comes to electronic communication, but its the entertaining birds-of-a-feather friendship dynamic thats the biggest tweet, er, treat for readers. elissa gershowitz (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
An unlikely avian friendship is threatened by an obsession with social media in this follow-up to Nerdy Birdy (2015).Big slouchy Vulture and Nerdy Birdy, tiny and brown with big, round eyeglasses, are best friends, though they're very different. Nerdy Birdy loves playing video games, while Vulture loves snacking on dead things. Together, they enjoy taking goofy pictures of each other, making silly faces, and making fun of each other's lunch. One day, Nerdy Birdy discovers an amazing new game. It's called Tweetster; it does awesome things. After a week, Nerdy Birdy has over 500 new friends across the globe, but he doesn't seem to notice the friend right in front of him. Vulture gets bored and flies away, but joining Tweetster herself restores common ground between the friends. But when Vulture logs onto the site, she finds a picture of herself and an insulting caption from Nerdy Bird. This thoughtless act causes Vulture to flap away for good. Nerdy Birdy reaches out for sympathy to his virtual network, but the response is underwhelming. Determined to find Vulture, Nerdy Birdy searches high and low, finally finding her and declaring, "One real live you is worth a thousand Tweetster friends." Reynolds' friendship fable is straightforwardly told. Davies' lively and imaginative pictures, in pen, ink, and watercolor, consistently delight. But are very young readers, at whom the book seems aimed, using social media? Still, cute and clever, and if it gives some prophylactic friendship pointers to children not yet networked, here's hoping they'll remember them. (Picture book. 3-5) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
