Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
"Maximum Occupancy 100 Birds" says the sign on a tree--it's a leafless specimen, but it's also the only tree in sight, and demand among the bird community is huge. Ensuring order is a ticketing system flanked by queuing birds with fluorescent plumage and eccentric outfits, and a bird monitor dressed in contrasting black who sits in a lifeguard chair. The monitor's initial warnings ("No running") are not unlike what readers may hear at home and in school. Then it becomes clear that its chastening authority is both arbitrary and overreaching ("No nesting!/ No resting!/ No hair gel!/ No nudity!!!"), and the mood among those perching turns grim. The birth of two chicks proves the tipping point: when the monitor flies into a rage, the flock drives it away in a feathered, furious frenzy, becoming a single entity to be reckoned with. Now everyone is miserable: the monitor loses purpose, and the tree becomes an overcrowded mess. But Derby (How to Walk an Ant), who proves her wholly original talent once again, devises a solution that makes the most of everyone's desires and their talents. Funny, socially relevant, and visually engrossing, this one is worth perching prominently on the shelf. Ages 3--6. (Nov.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
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. VERDICT The story is a bit abstract but the mood, colors, and message of thinking outside the perch for the sake of harmony will resonate.--Amelia Jenkins, Juneau P.L., AK
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Birds of various forms and colors (impressionistically rendered with hip outfits) rest in the branches of a tree with a clearly labeled maximum occupancy of 100. An official- and stern-looking gray bird -- the Bird Monitor -- enforces the limit and manages the line of birds waiting for their turn: "15 Minute Wait at This Point." The birds are obedient but sullen-looking. New rules keep appearing, ever more arbitrary and senseless: "No nesting! No resting! No hair gel! No nudity!" Occupancy is reached when an egg hatches -- with twins -- atop another bird's head, thus jacking up the total number of birds in the tree to 102. The Bird Monitor loses it: the sky turns red and the vibrant watercolors appear messier as the furious enforcer yells "TWO MANY BIRDS!!!" and reaches for a net. The group finally rebels, swarming to create the shape of a giant bird ( la Leo Lionni's Swimmy, rev. 8/63) and swooping at the Bird Monitor in a full-fledged uprising. By the end, the Bird Monitor isn't entirely repentant, but the creatures now work together to cultivate several trees: "No more waiting!" There is a steady and engaging rhythm to the clever hand-lettered text, and visual jokes abound (for example, a bird with squiggling legs waits outside a "bird-a-potty"). This playful and multilayered story has the potential to spark laughs as well as conversations about order, rules, power, and community. Elisa Gall January/February 2021 p.70(c) Copyright 2021. 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
When a limited-access tree suddenly attracts too many birds, the guard discovers a fruitful solution. The story told in this slyly subversive, freely imagined, and wonderfully funny fable begins on the front endpapers. Readers can see that the line to access the 500-year-old tree is very long. Page turns reveal that the tree's guard is grouchy and lays down many, many rules. The birds dutifully follow most of them, and the tree soon reaches its 100-bird capacity. But, to the delight of the 99 other visitors, the egg one bird is carrying atop its head in a nest made of (apparently) its hair hatches. Twins! Now there are two too many birds. The guard is apoplectic, but the birds revolt to carry him off for a productive timeout. Eventually, working together, birds and guard solve their problem--by planting more trees. The birds' situation will be familiar to any child who has gone to a public pool in summer, and it's even more common in today's world of crowd limits. Derby adds to the child appeal with her cleverly differentiated bird characters and the intriguing side stories. (Watch the line at the birda-potty. And look under the back flap to see what happens when there are "two many turds.") Created with watercolors and ink, her stylized birds are basically small spheres with legs, varying in color, costume, accessories, and hairdo. The only actual text is the guard's barked orders, conveyed in speech bubbles, and handwritten signs. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at 91.9% of actual size.) Surprisingly topical and overall egg-cellent. (Picture book. 3-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
