Zoseinka's cute illustrations cannot save this pointless story about a baby bird which has a damaged wing (or one shorter than the other, thereby impeding its flying ability, possibly forever). If the moral is that being handicapped does not mean you cannot experience life or take pleasure in life, then it misses the mark because a baby bird will get eaten by a cat or something else pretty soon if it cannot move from ground to height. And being on a Coot Scooter forever seems like being dependent on someone else for the rest of your life. Maybe "You don't need strong wings to fly" is supposed to just make baby bird's day better, but I don't think the story board works.

My little girls absolutely fell in love with Baby Bird! It is now in the nightly rotation. They like to sigh sadly when Baby Bird is born with a mal-formed wing and can not fly. They are 6 and 8, so acceptance by their peers is only beginning to be important in their lives. Im glad to have this book to use as a springboard for talks about bullying, being differently abled, persistence, ingenuity and the power of a really good and true friend. The illustrations are lovely and I hope to find more from both the author and the illustrator.

Lovely illustrations and very appealing to children. Andrew Gibbs has created a moving and beautifully illustrated tale that will draw children in to the world of nature and find common ground with the winged creatures in the book.

Like: Doesn’t give bird magic cure (was very much afraid that this would happen because most stories go down this route simply for its easy) as the ending of the story which made me very happy.

Baby Bird by Andrew Gibbs is a sweet tale about the value of friendship, and learning to be comfortable with yourself, no matter your circumstances.

Baby Bird wants to fly. Now is the time when fledglings are leaving their nests. But Baby Bird has one wing that is smaller than the other. He tries to fly, because that's what birds do, but with his crippled wing, he can only flutter. He practises and practises, but try as he may, Baby Bird keeps falling down. Cooter, a big black and white pond bird, has been watching Baby Bird practise and comes to ask what he's doing. Cooter decides to help, and together they try different things to help Baby Bird stay aloft. In the end, Baby Bird comes to realise that not being able to fly is okay, and doesn't take away his 'birdness’.

My cubs and I loved this story! It rather hit home with me especially, since I've lost an eye. While not something I was born with, it is something I had to adjust to, and that was very difficult. I had to learn that it was okay that I could no longer do things I could before. My little ones pointed out that everyone needs a friend like Cooter. Cooter didn't care that Baby Bird couldn't fly, or had a bum wing. He saw someone in distress and did his best to try and help. In doing so, he made a new friend.

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Quarto Publishing for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

'Baby Bird' by Andrew Gibbs is about a little bird with a challenge to overcome and the lessons he learns along the way.

Baby bird is born with one wing shorter than the other. When he is small, this isn't a problem. As Baby bird gets older and all his siblings start to fly, Baby learns the limitations of a shortened wing. Baby bird makes a new friend who helps Baby realize that there may be other ways of being who you are.

I really liked this story of someone small born with a challenge. The sadness is realized, but a solution is proposed. The art is very good, as is this story for everyone who is born a little different.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Quarto Publishing-Frances Lincoln Childrens, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

Accepting Yourself Just as You Are

Baby Bird is different. Baby has a twisted and shrunken wing and doesn’t grow strong like his brothers and sisters, no matter how hard he tries, he just cannot fly like his siblings. But Baby meets a new friend, Cooter, who not only helps him continue trying, but also shows him new ways to enjoy life. Cooter helps Baby understand what we all should learn - accepting ourselves just as we are.

This is a charming children’s book with colorful images that fill each page. This story holds an important message for children who are dealing with disabilities, as well as their families, siblings and friends. We are not told whether Baby Bird is a he or she, so for simplicity, I’ve used “he” for this review; I would imagine this is so Baby can be either.

This is an adorable book about Baby Bird, who is born with one wing smaller than the other, who is struggling to learn to fly. He can't understand why he can't do what the other birds die, and finds himself getting sad about it. Throughout the story though, he finds a kindred spirit in the form of another bird who is not so good at flying, and the big bird helps Baby Bird accept himself the way that is. I really liked the message this book gave across, about accepting your flaws and finding ways to achieve despite the flaws. The watercolour illustrations are beautiful and really complement the story.

This is an excerpt of a review that was originally published on my website: <a href="https://www.missjennysclassroom.com/2018/03/baby-bird-book-review.html">Miss Jenny's Classroom</a>

Baby Bird is a little bird with a determined streak. Born with one wing shorter and smaller than the other he is determined to learn to fly like his siblings. Persistent - he tries, tries, and tries again – a then finds a friend to help him see that there are many ways to achieve a goal.

This is a book I would be definitely using at the beginning of the school year purely because of the message. Yes, you need goals but sometimes there are barriers and sometimes you need to work around those barriers to get where you are going in a different way. I feel many children would be able to relate to Baby Bird failing to achieve his goal the first, second, third...time - whether they have a disability or not - and that's what makes this an accessible book for a mainstream classroom, specialist classroom, or a homeschooling family.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

I was delighted when I found out about this book, it looked quite adorable, but given the blurb I knew it would also be a sad book.

And it was. As our tiny little baby bird? He has one wing that can never do anything, it is very tiny. But our baby bird doesn't give up, he keeps on trying to get to flying, and joining his brothers and sisters in their fun. But as the book continues we see that it is very very hard for our tiny guy to do anything.

He does meet a friend who is more than willing to help him out, and also shows him that maybe flying isn't something all birds (can) do, and that it isn't bad for him to not be able to fly. Instead there are things that he can do, that may be even more fun than flying.

Yep, it goes from pretty sad (though I was very delighted to see how motivated he stayed) to very happy and I was just delighted for our tiny bird. Not only does he have a new friend who doesn't mind him not being able to fly, but he also found something else, a new purpose in his life.

The art is pretty OK. I do love how the birds were drawn.

All in all, I quite liked this book + its theme. I would recommend it!

This was such a precious book. This would be a great book to read to kids about learning about disability and how friends are important. Loved the pictures.
I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

As far as children’s books go, this one has a great message and amazing illustrations! The story fell a tad flat to me, but overall it would be an adorable read for kiddos. I recommend getting this as a hardcover book as I’m sure your kiddos will love looking at the beautiful pictures up close!

This is a beautifully illustrated book about disability and friendship and how the latter can overcome the former. It's an inspiring read.

Beautifully illustrated by Zosienka, Andrew Gibb’s Baby Bird is a gorgeous picture book about a little bird who is a bit different. Baby isn’t like the other hatchlings; he has one twisted, small wing. Throughout the course of the book, we see him try to learn to fly like the other birds until he meets a friend who helps him to have an alternative way of looking at things.

I like how the story is all about not giving up, and finding different ways of doing things if at first you don’t succeed. Baby Bird is such a lovely book; it’s really made by the illustrations and I look forward to seeing more work from Zosienka!

This charming book pulls at your heartstrings. An adorable baby bird is born with a malformed wing and finds he is unable to fly like his siblings. He tries and tries but no avail.

"All birds are born to fly," thinks Baby Bird, watching the other hatchlings leave the nest. "I suppose it's now or never..."

He doesn't give up. He does his very best to take flight over and over again, but because his little wing is all twisted and stubby he just can't get airborne. He keeps crashing and smashing into the ground each and every time. As fate would have it one of those crash-landings brings him face-to-face with a huge bird named Cooter who takes him under his wing (not literally but allegorically) and together they find a way to not only make Baby Bird mobile but to make him scoot fast by using his big, powerful, strong friend as his engine. Wheeeee.... off he goes.....

This story is about never giving up trying to fulfill your dreams, the power of friendship, accepting exactly who you are, and reaching out and caring for one another in times of need. Together the friends take Baby Birds disability and celebrate its uniqueness. This is a fun, uplifting story full of hope and happiness. Yes you can!!!!!

The beautiful watercolour images enrich the positive message of the book, a book I highly recommend.

Baby Bird is born with an under developed wing so he can't fly like his siblings. He tries and tries but it just won't happen. Then he meets a new friend - the Coot who teaches him that his wing won't stop him achieving his dreams and there is more than one way to fly. Lovely images and a great story - one I would get for my daughter to read over and over and keep.

Baby Bird is an adorable character. He is the fourth bird in the nest, but he was born with a difference. One of his wings did not develop and when all his siblings fly off, he can't go with them. No matter how hard he tries, he is not able to fly. Even as he falls and falls again, he keeps trying. When he meets a goose, they develop a friendship and "Cooter" tries to help him. Finally, Baby Bird and Cooter accept that he will never fly. Fortunately Cooter knows what to say and do to help Baby Bird realize that there is more than one way to fly.

Of course there are a couple of wonderful messages in this book. Baby Bird learns that sometimes we need a little help from friends as well as our own acceptance that we can overcome difficulties that we have no control over. Baby Bird realizes that he is wonderful even if he can't fly. The wonderful message about friendship, helping and encouraging one another as well as acceptance is an important one. A great addition to a home, school or public library.

When a baby bird with a damaged wing cannot keep up with his siblings when they fly away, he is first sad but determined to learn even with his handicap. When he realized he could not, he is crushed. A new friend is there for support and eventually to make him see other ways to fly.

Children will appreciate the pictures and the cute story but adults reading it will understand the morale behind, that with help and support, any child with a broken wing can learn to fly.

This story was certainly cute, and I liked the way the two friends helped each other out at the end. The illustrations also used very nice colors.

(Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.)

I really love this book! Its watercolor images are lovely and display a beautiful message about friendship, overcoming difficulty, and realizing that you're amazing just the way you are. I highly recommend this book for children!