Scary Bird

Scary Bird is a funny, touching work written and illustrated by Michel Streich. This tale takes place in an aviary full of different birds. One day, a new, different bird is added to the aviary – and “He looked SCARY!” (p. 3). This ruffled the feathers of all the other birds who deemed him too frightening to interact with; instead, they “were in a flutter” (p. 7) and debated why the newcomer was there and the fact that he was “gobbling up all [their] food!” (p. 8). Unfortunately, the new bird could hear their words, and he felt hurt. At one point, a mouse enters the cage (to steal some bird feed), and she wisely tells them that they are “ALL” exotic birds (p. 12), and, therefore, all different, but “nobody listens to a mouse” (p. 12). The aviary birds are determined to fear the newcomer, until his luck slowly changes.

Streich’s illustrations are simple, bright, and emotive. Readers of all ages can connect deeply with the birds (and mouse!) as they dance across the pages. The sadness of the new bird and the gradual acceptance that the other birds demonstrate are beautifully drawn throughout the story.

Michel Streich’s Scary Bird is not only a great addition to any shelf, it also holds some wise lessons about judging others. This book would be great for classrooms as new students are admitted and new friends are (hopefully) made. Children of all ages will be able to relate to the aviary birds or the newcomer bird.