The Dead Bird
By Jan Carr,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Classic about kids burying bird gets vibrant new art.
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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
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