A house for every bird /

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

A young artist's drawings rebel against her when she tries to put her sketched birds in houses that match how they look, but not how they feel in this hilarious picture book perfect for readers of Julian is a Mermaid and The Big Orange Splot .

A young artist has drawn birds and bird houses in corresponding colors. Now it's time to match them up. The blue bird goes in the blue house, the orange bird in the orange house, and so on. But wait! The birds don't agree with the narrator's choices and, much to her distress, are rebelling by swapping houses. Can the narrator make the birds see sense? Or is it possible that you just can't tell a bird by its feathers?

"This bighearted picture book delivers a worthwhile message with humor and great respect for young readers."-- The Horn Book

"A fresh and funny take on an old moral."-- Kirkus

"Both Maynor's dialogue text and Juanita's digital art have a loose, improvisational feel that captures the thrill and frustration of a work in progress-and the value of empathy and flexibility in getting to know others."-- Publishers Weekly

"Use this to open a discussion on using words rather than assumptions, or as an introduction to the way art can go in unexpected directions."-- The Bulletin

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

A young brown-skinned artist draws an eclectic group of birds in this funny and subtly incisive story, each with a quirky house that matches their color or size: "Red for red,/ tall for tall./ A house/ for one,/ a house/ for all." But the creations immediately balk--and squawk--at being pigeonholed based on their looks. Blue Bird and Orange Bird insist on swapping houses ("Blue is my vibe--so cool, so calm," says Orange Bird); a diminutive bird wants larger digs to accommodate a huge singing group, and Large Bird prefers snug quarters "where I can touch all the walls at once." Seeing their rebellion as nothing short of ingratitude, the child gestures in frustration: "How was I supposed to KNOW what you like?"--"ASK US!" is the reply. Both Maynor's (Helga Makes a Name for Herself) dialogue text and Juanita's (When Aidan Became a Brother) digital art have a loose, improvisational feel that captures the thrill and frustration of a work in progress--and the value of empathy and flexibility in getting to know others. Ages 3--6. Author's agent: Minju Chang, BookStop Literary. Illustrator's agent: Charlotte Sheedy, Charlotte Sheedy Literary. (Feb.)

Horn Book Review

The book's protagonist, whom we meet on the cover, is a young girl with light-brown skin brimming with creativity and personality. Endpapers are decorated with pictures of birds drawn in a childlike style, and the title-page spread shows the girl busily sketching as completed drawings cascade down the foreground of the page. "I drew these birds. And a house for every bird. Doo-be-doo," the girl sings to herself in an artistic reverie. Despite the obvious joy she takes in drawing, there are limitations to her creativity. These are revealed as the birds in her pictures become animate and start talking back, resisting the rigid way she's depicted a red house for a red bird, a tall house for a tall bird, and so on. At first alarmed, the girl then exclaims, "But I was trying to help. I made a house for every bird. How was I supposed to KNOW what you like?" Her exaggerated facial expressions and body language are sure to provoke laughter, especially since the reply from the bird she addresses is a succinct "Ask us." The birds have to repeat this good advice a few times, but the girl eventually softens and grows in both her imaginative powers and her empathy. This bighearted picture book delivers a worthwhile message with humor and great respect for young readers. Megan Dowd Lambert July/August 2021 p.89(c) Copyright 2021. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Book Review

A young artist learns that our inner worlds are more than what meets the eye. An unnamed child is on a seemingly simple mission: to draw a bunch of birds and sketch a house for each of them. At first, the brown-skinned protagonist's creative process is fairly straightforward, matching each avian to a home that shares their physical characteristics. "Red for red," the narrator explains, and "tall for tall." Readers receive a bird's-eye view of the drawings, rendered in perfect, youthful splendor by Juanita. Despite the child's best efforts, the birds don't seem to agree with their housing assignments. Blue Bird and Orange Bird want to swap spots while Large Bird prefers a tiny abode. Ducks may typically be found in ponds, but the young artist's duck "[doesn't] swim, man." As the discerning birds and their maker argue, the frustrated child soon realizes that the birds' unexpected preferences are not the issue--the artist's own assumptions are. Instead of guessing based on presuppositions, the protagonist learns that simply asking is the best way to know what someone likes. Interactions among the child and their artistic subjects are depicted in Juanita's expressive signature style; her use of texture, color, and detail is the book's highlight. They expand on Maynor's thoughtful--if rather clunky--narrative, together comically teaching youth to let others define themselves and avoid the pitfalls of inadvertent stereotyping. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9-by-22-inch double-page spreads viewed at 14.1% of actual size.) A fresh and funny take on an old moral. (Picture book. 5-10) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Megan is also the author of The Sandcastle That Lola Built , Helga Makes a Name for Herself, Ella and Penguin Stick Together and Ella and Penguin, A Perfect Match . She lives outside Minneapolis with one husband, three kids, and one rabbit. Learn more about Megan and her work at MeganMaynor.com or on Twitter at @Megan_Maynor.

Kaylani is an illustrator based in Fairfield, CA who illustrates inclusive picture books, editorial art, and afros. She earned a Coretta Scott King Honor Award for her work in Magnificent Homespun Brown and a Stonewall Award for When Aiden Became a Brothe r. California grown and raised, she's studied at Cal Arts and CCA for a BFA in Illustration. Her mission as an artist is to support the stories of the under represented and create new ways for people to imagine themselves. Learn more about Kaylani at http-//kaylanijuanita.com and on Instagram and Twitter.