The Dead Bird
Classic about kids burying bird gets vibrant new art.
Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. Your purchase helps us remain independent and ad-free.
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The Dead Bird, by Margaret Wise Brown (Goodnight, Moon and The Runaway Bunny), is a quiet meditation on death and the healing power of ritual. It's a reissue of a text originally published in 1938, given fresh life with beautiful new illustrations by 2016 Caldecott Honoree Christian Robinson (Last Stop on Market Street). Four kids find a dead bird, and the text throughout is as straightforward and unflinching as the first line: "The bird was dead when the children found it." The frank specificity about death can spark family discussion: "And even as they held it, it began to get cold, and the limp bird body grew stiff, so they couldn't bend its legs and the head didn't flop when they moved it." In this new edition, the text is balanced by life-affirming, even joyful art. Two of the kids wear fanciful costumes -- butterfly wings and a fox mask and tail -- and all are smiling as they sing and pick flowers to decorate the grave. The art is bright and cheerfully colored, and the kids are updated, too, given a new racial balance.
Community Reviews
There aren't any reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.
What's the Story?
In THE DEAD BIRD, four kids come upon a dead bird. They hold it as the body turns cold and stiff, then decide to bury it in the woods "the way grown-up people did when someone died." They dig a hole, put "sweet-ferns in the bottom of the grave," top it with flowers, sing an impromptu song, and set a stone on top. "And every day, until they forgot, they went and sang to their little dead bird, and put fresh flowers on his grave."
Is It Any Good?
A lovely reissue of Margaret Wise Brown's classic book about kids finding and burying a dead bird is given new life with bright, updated illustrations by award-winning artist Christian Robinson. Brown made her reputation writing stories that appeal to children, and her books are still wildly popular. The subject is sensitive, and the text is forthright, not touchy-feely -- the reader experiences the confusion of death from the kids' point of view and from their actions, burying the bird "the way grown-up people did when someone died." When the bird's body goes cold, the plain-dealing text says, "That was the way animals got when they had been dead for some time -- cold dead and stone still, with no heart beating."
The sadness of death is counteracted by the colorful, life-affirming art that lends the book a welcome cheer. The kids smile as they go about the business of memorializing the bird and form a happy, connected ring to sing the song they make up. They're also accompanied by a dog who's very much alive -- he licks the kids' faces when they cry -- and the group itself is happily racially diverse.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about death. Do you have any experience of it? What happened? How did you feel?
Families also can talk about rituals surrounding death. Why did the kids bury the bird, put a stone on top, sing a song, and plant flowers? Why did they keep visiting the grave?
There are sad things in this book, but sometimes the kids look happy. Why? Look at the pictures. What in them makes you feel happy?
Book Details
- Author: Margaret Wise Brown
- Illustrator: Christian Robinson
- Genre: Picture Book
- Topics: Friendship, Great Boy Role Models, Great Girl Role Models, Science and Nature
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books
- Publication date: March 1, 2016
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 4 - 8
- Number of pages: 32
- Available on: Paperback, Hardback
- Last updated: July 13, 2017
Our Editors Recommend
-
Boats for Papa
Tender, moving story about boy and mom dealing with loss.
-
City Dog, Country Frog
Touching tale of dog-frog friendship depicts cycle of life.
-
Birds
Simple story, striking art make this picture book soar.
For kids who love picture books and grief stories
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate