Bird, written by Zetta Elliott and illustrated by Shadra Strickland, is a picture book written in 2008.[1] It won the New Voices Award Honor from its publishing company Lee & Low Books Incorporation.[2]
Zetta Elliot is a poet, author, and obtained a doctorate degree in American Studies from NYU.[3] She wrote Bird as a short story in 2006 before working with illustrator Shadra Strickland to turn it into a picture book in 2008.[4] It is her first publication, and has won many awards.[2]Bird is an African American story that contains elements of African folklore and touches on death and mental illness.
Plot Summaryedit
The book narrates the story of a young black boy named Mehkai. His nickname is Bird, given to him by his Grandad. However, when his granddad passes away, Mehkai grows close to his grandad's best friend named Uncle Son. Together they go to the park, feed pigeons, tell stories, and drink coffee.Bird loves to draw to remember and better understand things in his life. His favorite thing to draw is, of course, birds. Flashing back in time, Bird describes his brother Marcus who was a graffiti artist that taught him to draw. However, Marcus introduces difficulties to the plot by becoming distant and showing signs of drug abuse. Bird doesn't quite understand what is happening to his brother and wants to spend more time with him, but Marcus is adamant in telling Bird to continue to go to school. One day, Bird finds Marcus in bed showing withdrawal symptoms. He is confused and worried for his brother. Marcus lessens his appearance at the house and one day robs the house of its expensive belongings. His father explains to Bird that Marcus is suffering from a sickness and that he is no longer allowed home. Bird finds it difficult to obey his parents and speaks to Marcus at the front door when their parents aren't home. Turning to Granddad for advice, Bird learns that "'some broken things can't be fixed". When Marcus passes away and Granddad shortly after, Uncle Son and Bird begin to go to the park every week. During these outings, Bird learns to find peace with the loss of his brother and his Grandfather, and he continues to draw in hopes to learn from his experiences and never forget.[2]
Charactersedit
Mehkai (Bird)- The main character and narrator of the story, also known as Bird by his Grandad.
Uncle Son- The best friend of Mehkai's Grandad, and a philosophical companion to Mehkai when his Grandad passes away.
Grandad- Mehkai's Grandfather and a mentor to Mehkai. He passes away at the end of the book.
Marcus- He is Bird's older brother and someone that Bird looks up to. However, he struggles with a drug addiction that leads to his death at the end of the book.
Themes included are Diversity & Race due to it being an African American story.[5] Other themes include Empathy & Compassion,[6] Coping with Death and Grief,[6] and Adolescent Issues.[7]
Receptionedit
Reviewsedit
The International Journal of Multicultural Education looks at the gender dynamics, language, and audience. While praising the authenticity of the book, Basile reviews the lack of female portrayal in Bird's life, while typically it is the male figure that is absent in African American families. In regard to language, the reviewer writes "Urban African Americans are often seen as using a fair amount of ‘Ebonics’ and family-rich endearments to make their voices known. The author includes very few words of African American dialect and hence makes this a story appear too cleaned up.” While questioning gender and language, the author praises the author's attempt to connect to a wider audience.[7]
Kirkus Book Reviews praises Bird, "With unusual depth and raw conviction, Elliott’s child-centered narrative excels in this debut."[8]
"In a promising debut for both Elliott and Strickland, this picture book tells a poignant story about a boy whose loving family, friends and a gift for drawing help him navigate difficult emotions surrounding the deaths of his grandfather and drug-addicted brother. A complicated weaving of impressive watercolor, gouache, charcoal and ink drawings amplifies the metaphors and action of the poetic text as it combines black-and-white with color," states Publishers Weekly.[9]
Awardsedit
Bird won the Lee & Low New Voices Honor Award, an award given by the publishers of the book.[2] Other major awards include the Coretta Scott King Award/John Steptoe Award for New Talent[10] and the Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Award for Shadra Strickland.[11] Additional honors includes the Best of 2008 Kirkus Reviews (& starred review), 2009 ALA Notable Children's Book, Bank Street College Best Children's Book 2009, 2009 Paterson Prize for Book for Young Readers, and 2011 West Virginia Children's Choice Book Award.[1]
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Bird written by Zetta Elliott and illustrated by Shadra Strickland is a picture book written in 2008 1 It won the New Voices Award Honor from its publishing company Lee amp Low Books Incorporation 2 BirdAuthorZetta ElliottIllustratorShadra StricklandPublished2008PublisherLee amp Low BooksAwardsNew Voices Award Honor Contents 1 Background amp Setting 2 Plot Summary 3 Characters 4 Themes 5 Reception 5 1 Reviews 5 2 Awards 6 References 7 External linksBackground amp Setting edit nbsp Zetta ElliotZetta Elliot is a poet author and obtained a doctorate degree in American Studies from NYU 3 She wrote Bird as a short story in 2006 before working with illustrator Shadra Strickland to turn it into a picture book in 2008 4 It is her first publication and has won many awards 2 Bird is an African American story that contains elements of African folklore and touches on death and mental illness Plot Summary editThe book narrates the story of a young black boy named Mehkai His nickname is Bird given to him by his Grandad However when his granddad passes away Mehkai grows close to his grandad s best friend named Uncle Son Together they go to the park feed pigeons tell stories and drink coffee Bird loves to draw to remember and better understand things in his life His favorite thing to draw is of course birds Flashing back in time Bird describes his brother Marcus who was a graffiti artist that taught him to draw However Marcus introduces difficulties to the plot by becoming distant and showing signs of drug abuse Bird doesn t quite understand what is happening to his brother and wants to spend more time with him but Marcus is adamant in telling Bird to continue to go to school One day Bird finds Marcus in bed showing withdrawal symptoms He is confused and worried for his brother Marcus lessens his appearance at the house and one day robs the house of its expensive belongings His father explains to Bird that Marcus is suffering from a sickness and that he is no longer allowed home Bird finds it difficult to obey his parents and speaks to Marcus at the front door when their parents aren t home Turning to Granddad for advice Bird learns that some broken things can t be fixed When Marcus passes away and Granddad shortly after Uncle Son and Bird begin to go to the park every week During these outings Bird learns to find peace with the loss of his brother and his Grandfather and he continues to draw in hopes to learn from his experiences and never forget 2 Characters editMehkai Bird The main character and narrator of the story also known as Bird by his Grandad Uncle Son The best friend of Mehkai s Grandad and a philosophical companion to Mehkai when his Grandad passes away Grandad Mehkai s Grandfather and a mentor to Mehkai He passes away at the end of the book Marcus He is Bird s older brother and someone that Bird looks up to However he struggles with a drug addiction that leads to his death at the end of the book Mama Bird s mother Papa Bird s father 2 Themes editThemes included are Diversity amp Race due to it being an African American story 5 Other themes include Empathy amp Compassion 6 Coping with Death and Grief 6 and Adolescent Issues 7 Reception editReviews edit The International Journal of Multicultural Education looks at the gender dynamics language and audience While praising the authenticity of the book Basile reviews the lack of female portrayal in Bird s life while typically it is the male figure that is absent in African American families In regard to language the reviewer writes Urban African Americans are often seen as using a fair amount of Ebonics and family rich endearments to make their voices known The author includes very few words of African American dialect and hence makes this a story appear too cleaned up While questioning gender and language the author praises the author s attempt to connect to a wider audience 7 Kirkus Book Reviews praises Bird With unusual depth and raw conviction Elliott s child centered narrative excels in this debut 8 In a promising debut for both Elliott and Strickland this picture book tells a poignant story about a boy whose loving family friends and a gift for drawing help him navigate difficult emotions surrounding the deaths of his grandfather and drug addicted brother A complicated weaving of impressive watercolor gouache charcoal and ink drawings amplifies the metaphors and action of the poetic text as it combines black and white with color states Publishers Weekly 9 Awards edit Bird won the Lee amp Low New Voices Honor Award an award given by the publishers of the book 2 Other major awards include the Coretta Scott King Award John Steptoe Award for New Talent 10 and the Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Award for Shadra Strickland 11 Additional honors includes the Best of 2008 Kirkus Reviews amp starred review 2009 ALA Notable Children s Book Bank Street College Best Children s Book 2009 2009 Paterson Prize for Book for Young Readers and 2011 West Virginia Children s Choice Book Award 1 References edit a b Bird Zetta Elliott 2008 05 01 Retrieved 2020 04 09 a b c d e Lee amp Low Books Bio Zetta Elliott 2014 03 27 Retrieved 2020 04 09 Langley Greg October 19 2008 Elliott didn t give up on Bird despite long wait for publication The Advocate Baton Rouge LA Elliott Zetta 2008 01 01 Bird Diverse Families a b Teacher s Guide Bird Lee amp Low Books www leeandlow com Retrieved 2020 04 20 a b Basile Donna M 2008 Children s Book Review International Journal of Multicultural Education 10 1 2 BIRD Kirkus Reviews Children s books review Bird www publishersweekly com Retrieved 2020 04 21 Coretta Scott King John Steptoe Award for New Talent Awards amp Grants www ala org Retrieved 2020 04 19 2009 Ezra Jack Keats Book Award Winners The Ezra Jack Keats Foundation www ezra jack keats org Retrieved 2020 04 19 External links edit nbsp Children s literature portalWebsite Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Bird book amp oldid 1178935423, 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