Birds of a Feather! I Am A Bird by Hope Lin

 

EVERY MORNING, I FLY LIKE A BIRD ON DADDY'S BIKE. I SING LIKE A BIRD ON THE WAY TO SCHOOL.

CA-CAW!

The passing birds seem to sing with her, and all the people along the way wave and smile at her happy face and cheery birdsong.

But one morning the girl notices a strange figure hustling down the street, clutching a heavy carryall. Her long skirt and coat and big hat cover everything about her--except her frowning face. There are no smiles or waves from her. Somehow the scowl on her face makes her whole figure seem sinister. The girl tries to hide behind her father and tells him that she doesn't like that lady.

"SHE'S JUST A LADY TAKING A WALK." HE ANSWERS.

But one morning when they leave home late, she spots the woman in the park. She's feeding and singing to the birds!

CHEE-CHEE-CHEE!

And the girl smiles and waves to her and sings back.

CA-CAW! CA-CAW!

And her smile is returned, in Hope Lin's just-published I Am a Bird (Candlewick Press, 2021). A human connection is made between two people who look different but find they are kindred spirits after all. Finding that fellow feeling with outwardly different sorts of people is one of the great lessons of childhood learning, and author Lin's spare text works hand-in-hand with Hyewon Yum's gentle, understated illustrations which reveal feelings in subtle lines and soft pencil and gouache artwork.