Wonderful review from BOOKLIST

Very nice review of BIRD which will appear in the Nov. 1st issue of Booklist:

“In this beautiful picture book for older readers, Elliott and Strickland tell a moving story in spare free verse
and clear mixed-media pictures of an African American boy who loves to draw. At first Bird’s mentor is
his older brother, Marcus, a graffiti artist. Then Marcus becomes a junkie who is eventually kicked out of
their home. Drug use among family members is a reality for some young people, but it is rare to find books
for the age group that reflect that experience. Marcus’ need for “a fix” and his eventual death are
both handled with subtlety: “Marcus never got better. After the funeral, Granddad went to bed.” Bird’s
elderly friend, Uncle Son, keeps the young artist strong and tells him a story from slavery times of the
people in chains who could fly when their spirits broke free. The spacious scenes of the boy beneath birds
soaring high above the city streets echoes what Bird discovers: that art can inspire, comfort, and elevate.
Pair this with Virginia Hamilton’s The People Could Fly (1985).”