Bluebird

by Bob Staake, Bob Staake (Illustrator)

Overview

"Like nothing you have seen before," raves Kirkus Reviews in a starred review.

In his most beautiful and moving work to date, Bob Staake explores the universal themes of loneliness, bullying, and the importance of friendship. In this emotional picture book, readers will be captivated as they follow the journey of a bluebird as he develops a friendship with a young boy and ultimately risks his life to save the boy from harm. Both simple and evocative, this timeless and profound story will resonate with readers young and old. 

Bob Staake has been working on this book for 10 years, and he believes it is the story he was born to write.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780375870378
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	04/09/2013
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	9.50(w) x 11.30(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

BOB STAAKE has authored and/or illustrated over 50 books, including The Donut Chef, Hello Robots, Look a Book, This Is Not a Pumpkin, and Pets Go Pop. The New York Times named Staake's The Red Lemon one of the 10 best illustrated books of 2006.

Editorial Reviews

Few picture books capture the somber hues of loneliness and introspection as stunningly as Staake does in this aptly wordless tale of a boy and a bird. Staake…has drawn a book of true beauty.

The New York Times Book Review - Pamela Paul

In this wordless story, a shy boy finds a winged mentor in a cheery bluebird. The bird helps the boy perk up after a rough day at school and then connects him to some friendly children at a sailboat pond. But when bullies kill the bird—a truly shocking moment—the story sheds its simple yearning and wishfulness (with the bird as a kind of feathered fairy godmother) and deepens into an eloquent affirmation of love, faith, and the persistence of goodness. Staake (Bugs Galore!) propels his story forward with steady assurance, using a largely gray palette, geometric shapes, and comics-style framing. He vividly evokes a Manhattanlike landscape that’s overwhelming, yet full of potential, and he gives full visual voice to the boy’s emotions; there are several moments when Staake stops the action and lets his audience savor how the bird has transformed the boy. It’s possible (though not necessary) to attach the suggestion of an afterlife to the final pages, but believers and skeptics alike will find something deeply impressive and moving in this work of a singular, fully committed talent. Ages 4–8. Agent: Gilliam Mackenzie, Gillian Mackenzie Agency. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

Starred Review, Booklist, April 15, 2013:
"Staake works out an impressive range of emotion... Without use of a single word, this book raises all kinds of simple profundities for kids to question, ponder, imagine, and discuss."

Starred Review, Publishers Weekly, February 25, 2013:
“…believers and skeptics alike will find something deeply impressive and moving in this work of a singular, fully committed talent.”

Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews, March 15, 2013:
“Like nothing you have seen before.

From the Publisher

One little boy, one little bird and one big city come together in a wordless fable of friendship, school, loss and comfort. Readers see the bluebird first, following the boy as he walks to school. Like a guardian angel, the bird watches the boy, even while his classmates mock him. Soon, the bird and boy become friends, returning home from school together, playing hide-and-seek, stopping at a bodega and sailing a boat in a pond. A run-in with a group of thugs leads to the bird's demise. Blues and grays are the colors of this urban world, allowing Staake's design to tell the story. Horizontal and vertical panels are interspersed with full-page spreads, encouraging the reader to slow down and experience the story. Though the volume is wordless, there is some environmental text on the signs of the city, which points to how the boy might feel about his life. Each sign is nearly generic: Gotham Café, Circus, The Steadfast Independent Books. Color changes, from blue to near black to white to blue again, allow readers to feel every emotion, including the devastating climax and the begs-to-be-discussed ending, which is punctuated by eight birds of many colors escorting the boy and the bluebird into the clouds. Like nothing you have seen before. (Picture book. 6 & up)

Kirkus Reviews