Charlie Bird: The Best Bird Ever
Linda Bird
Reviewed by Kathleen Garber
Charlie Bird, The Best Bird Ever is a children’s book about a small
parrot named Charlie. It highlights his life with his “featherless
flock” Sara, and Molly. He is a very mischievous little bird, who is
constantly
providing entertainment for Sara and Molly. There is another element to
the book. Charlie befriends four wild birds. He and Rusty, the ring
leader of the wild birds, decide to trade places. This leads to
surprising adventures for both birds.
This book from Outskirts Press is a cute little book that would be
perfect for bird lovers or children who are interested in getting a
bird as a pet. Charlie is a parrot but Charlie’s bird friends are all
different kinds of birds.
If you have never lived with a bird, you will learn what day to day
life is like with one. Feeding and caring, playing and communicating
are all featured here.
The text is interspersed with small photographs and some computer
clipart which illustrates what is being talked about. See Charlie
tearing apart a roll of toilet paper, eating out of the girls’ cereal
bowl or stacking bottle caps to make a perch. The photos of Charlie and
his surroundings are all real while some of the photos of his pals and
the ones of Sara and Molly are fake.
It’s not a professionally made book, the text looks like it was just
printed off the computer and the photos are quite grainy. I think the
book would have been better with clear photos. If the author couldn’t
get photos of two real girls, then she could have at least found better
fake photos.
The story itself is good. It depicts life with a bird but also has an
actual tale to follow. What Charlie and Rusty felt and thought while
they were trading places seemed believable. It is what I would expect
if birds could talk. The only exception with regards to realism is how
Charlie and Rusty trade places. Without spoiling too much, I’ll just
say it was “Magic.” I’m interested in reading further books about
Charlie Bird or anything else Linda Bird writes.