Now You See Him, Now You Don't! A Funny Little Bird by Jennifer Yerkes

ONCE THERE WAS A FUNNY LITTLE BIRD.

MOST OF THE TIME IT WAS AS IF HE WAS INVISIBLE.

And except for his pointy orange beak, his black button eyes, and his long dark legs, he is. Invisible, that is.

It is only when he stands in front of something colorful that his shape can be discerned, white against the background. Being nearly invisible is hard. Other birds shun him as just too weird.

So the little bird gets busy, plucking up a colorful feather, flowers, spiraling tendrils, and shapely foliage from the area around him with which to adorn (and delineate) himself.  Now he is more visible and he attracts attention.  A stealthy mouse passing by is amazed!

Unfortunately, the little bird is now visible to a feral fox and a wandering weasel, and to them he now looks like dinner!

Luckily the little bird enlists the help of the mouse to solve his problem. When he wants to be seen, he stands in front of the mouse, and when he wants to hide from hungry predators, the mouse runs to hide and leaves the funny little bird blending with the background and virtually invisible again.

An invisible protagonist is an odd premise for a picture book, but in Jennifer Yerkes' A Funny Little Bird (Sourcebooks/Jabberwocky, 2013), the author's minimalist and modish  illustrations provide a fascinating study of what it means  really to be seen for what you are. A quirky, sophisticated story which is a fascinating treat for the eyes. As School Library Journal says, ""Sophisticated vocabulary and elegantly understated art...a sweet and lovely package."