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BIRD IS DEAD

Name: BIRD IS DEAD
Author: Tiny Fisscher
ISBN: 9781778401176

by Tiny Fisscher ; illustrated by Herma Starreveld ; translated by Laura Watkinson ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 26, 2024

Honest words and arresting characters model the essential elements for one of life’s most difficult conversations.

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A community of birds finds, mourns, and buries one of their own.

Margaret Wise Brown’s The Dead Bird, illustrated by Remy Charlip in 1958 and then by Christian Robinson in a 2016 edition, portrayed children discussing death’s finality and enacting grown-up rituals over a deceased bird. This Dutch import is imbued with a kindred spirit, although here the childlike, direct dialogue comes from within the flock. On an overcast, gray-green day, a bird observes the still creature. This realist assures the shocked newcomers who gather that the prone bird is not sleeping: “On your back + feet up = dead” and “You see, it can all be over in a heartbeat.” As in any group, one member is task oriented (wanting to take care of the burial), while some focus on protocol (what to say, what to sing); many cry. Some are bossy; others are peacekeepers. The creators imbue the tale with humorous and poignant touches. Each bird has a distinct shape, and exquisitely designed, mixed-media, patchwork collages take the place of plumage. Snippets of pink add warmth. Sun rays break through the clouds after the funeral, offering a jumping-off point to a spiritual dimension for those who are so inclined. As tea, worms, and cake are served at nightfall, the bereaved remind each other that although forever is final, Bird will always live on in their heads.

Honest words and arresting characters model the essential elements for one of life’s most difficult conversations. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: March 26, 2024

ISBN: 9781778401176

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Greystone Kids

Review Posted Online: March 9, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2024

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
THE RUNAWAY PANCAKE
by Tiny Fisscher ; illustrated by Sophie Pluim ; translated by Polly Lawson

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DECOY SAVES OPENING DAY

by Shohei Ohtani & Michael Blank ; illustrated by Fanny Liem ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 3, 2026

A charming tale of an athlete who may not steal any bases but who will certainly steal readers’ hearts.

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Ohtani, pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, teams up with Blank and Liem to tell the story of how his dog, Decoy, threw out a ceremonial first pitch.

It’s a big day! Decoy leaps “off the bed. Then back onto the bed. Then off the bed.” The enthusiastic pup heads outside to practice with his lucky baseball but is quickly distracted by squirrels (“we’ll play later!”), airplanes (“flyin’ high!”), and flowers (“smell ya soon!”). Dog and pitcher then head to the ballpark. In the locker room, Decoy high-paws Shohei’s teammates. It’s nearly time! But as Shohei prepares to warm up, Decoy realizes that he’s forgotten something important: his lucky ball. Without it, there will be “no championships, no parades, and no hot dogs!” Back home he goes, returning just in time. With Shohei at the plate, Decoy runs from the mound to his owner, rolling the ball into Shohei’s mitt for a “Striiiiike!” Related from a dog’s point of view, Ohtani and Blank’s energetic text lends the tale a sense of urgency and suspense. Liem’s illustrations capture the excitement of the first day of baseball season and the joys of locker room camaraderie, as well as Shohei and Decoy’s mutual affection—even when the ball is drenched in slobber, Shohei’s love for his pet shines through, and clearly, Decoy is focused when it matters.

A charming tale of an athlete who may not steal any bases but who will certainly steal readers’ hearts. (Picture book. 5-7)

Pub Date: Feb. 3, 2026

ISBN: 9780063460775

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: Oct. 10, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2025

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S ENTERTAINMENT & SPORTS

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)