Review by Booklist Review
An earnest, hard-working bowerbird, Bert hopes to attract a mate by decorating his bower (a shady little home made of sticks, moss, and dirt) with a lovely purple flower. Whenever haughty Nanette, a female bowerbird, stops by, she criticizes his work, informing him that he must add more treasures. Then she stalks away. But each time he adds another precious find, she hurts his feelings again, ordering him to add more. After another male bowerbird tricks Bert into leaving the bower to search for a ring, he steals Bert's treasures and Nanette as well. Fortunately, Bert meets a more congenial mate who sincerely admires his flower, his bower, and Bert himself. She decides to stay. An English writer and former Children's Laureate, Donaldson wrote The Gruffalo (2005) and other picture books as well as poems and songs. Her ability to write a rhythmic, rhyming narrative is evident in Bert's story, which reads aloud smoothly, with a flowing cadence and well-chosen words. Rayner's colorful artwork brightens every page of this inviting picture book. A lively read-aloud choice.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Bowerbird Bert, drawn by Rayner (Five Bears) with endearing squiggly lines, soft washes of golden yellow and brown, and beseeching eyes, has carefully constructed a "lovely arching twiggy tower" at the start of this quirky picture book. Decorating it with a single purple flower, he "sat and waited for his bride," writes Donaldson (Welcome to the World). Enter "haughty" Nanette, a green and blue bird with a yellow belly who, towering over Bert, insists on further tributes. In a series of spreads rendered with balletic sweeps of color, the besotted Bert scavenges not only items from nature but also a caramel wrapper, a comb, and a garden gnome. He's soon ditched by Nanette for Claude, a wily crow who absconds with the bower's contents--save the original flower. Bert is all but sure that loneliness is his lot when a little bird named Jean appears: "She looked Bert over once or twice/ And added, 'You look very nice,/ And what a pretty purple flower!'/ And then.../ she came inside his bower." It's a visually sumptuous, classic lesson on the rewards of seeking someone who loves one for who one is. Ages 3--6. (Dec.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
To woo a mate, a male bowerbird gathers enticing objects to decorate his home. Scruffy, bighearted Bert places a purple flower outside his new bower and awaits his bride. "Haughty" Nanette arrives, sniffs, and makes clear that a simple flower won't be enough. Hurt, Bert flies off to gather more objects to improve his chances at love. A cumulative rhyme structure anchors his multiple attempts to please Nanette: "The snail shell, the silver bell, / The wrapper from the caramel, / Plus the pretty purple flower. / 'Now will you come inside my bower?'" Fickle Nanette continues to reject Bert. Alas, a second male bird, Claude, arrives and tricks Bert, sending him on a doomed expedition to find a gold ring for Nanette. While Bert flies off, Claude steals his treasures and, ultimately, Nanette. Donaldson's intricate rhymes, together with Rayner's illustration of a dejected, slumping Bert, convey his heartbreak: "Where were the comb, the gnome, the foam, / The green pea, the strawberry." Rayner's mixed-media illustrations capture the eager-to-please Bert's open nature, using an earthy palette that pops whenever the purple flower appears. Bert considers giving up on love, but the purple flower's bold color still has some magic to work. He hears another bird approach: "She look[s] Bert over once or twice / And add[s], "You look very nice, / And what a pretty purple flower!" Could he, at long last, have found his mate? Delightful rhyming combined with clever illustrations elevate a simple search for love. (brief information on bowerbird behavior)(Picture book. 3-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
