BIRDIE FLIES AWAY/ PAJARILLO SE VA VOLANDO

In this largely forgettable bilingual tale, Birdie finally leaves the safety of the nest.

A presumably Latina girl narrates the story of the bird family living outside her window. “There was a Papa, Mama and four little babies.” While the mother bird and her babies rest in the nest, Papa goes in search of food, and the babies grow. Soon, both parents are out gathering food for the hungry quartet. “One day Papa noticed that his babies were singing louder and louder. That showed him that they were happy birds and that made Papa very happy. He sang, too.” As the young birds age, they begin exploring the branch beyond their nest and eating more food, “except for Birdie, the smallest bird of all.” The other birds fly away and bring back their own food, but Birdie remains with Mama and Papa: “He liked the way Mama and Papa cleaned him, fed him, ruffled his feathers, and kept him warm when he slept between them.” Then, Birdie is gone, off flying by himself, and the tale abruptly ends. Yomtob’s colorful, humorous illustrations bring some life to Aragon’s often awkward story. Purple English text precedes the red Spanish version, and the illustrated vocabulary list is notable for its brevity and lack of indefinite Spanish articles.

Charming illustrations can’t save this lackluster effort.