Max and Bird

August 21, 2017
Max, the black kitten introduced in Max the Brave, makes a new friend in Bird, but can birds and kittens be friends? “It’s a rule of nature. Birds get chased by kittens,” Max tells Bird, who has no interest in being chased or becoming a snack. “But friends don’t eat each other up!” protests Bird. Instead, they resolve to learn how to fly, resulting in a trip to the library and lots of ineffectual flapping on the part of both animals (Bird eventually gets the hang of it). Vere’s pared-down cartooning keeps the focus on this developing friendship (the two friends, both inky black with huge white eyes, appear against brightly colored, mostly empty backgrounds), and his droll narration (“They flapped in the morning. Not a bean. They flapped in the afternoon. Not a sausage”) provides lots of laughs along the way. Ages 3–6.

September 1, 2017

PreS-Gr 2-A kitten named Max asks a bird named Bird to be his friend. Max is determined to chase his pal (and possibly eat him) until Bird tells him that friends do not eat one another. "'If you teach me how to fly, ' said Bird, then we'll talk about the chasing...and all that other stuff." Max decides that it is a fair plan and sets off to help Bird learn how to fly. In this book the words appear to bounce about the page in an almost graphic-novel style. The main characters look like silhouettes with bright and expressive eyes that convey the emotions of curiosity, frustration, and determination throughout the story. Movement is illustrated with sharp and curved lines. New readers will easily discern where the characters have been and how their movement has progressed and changed. Some dialogue is written in a different font from the story's narration, which adds emphasis to especially important exchanges. The story line is humorous and engaging for a young audience. Children will relate to Max's and Bird's attempts to achieve something they have seen but never tried themselves. VERDICT This book is a fun read about forming meaningful friendships and learning from others. Best shared one-on-one and in a small group.-Deanna Smith, Mamaroneck Public Library, NY

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2017
Friendship wins out over natural instincts in another outing with the big-eyed black cat. In previous outings Max the Brave (2015) and Max at Night (2016), the energetic and persistent titular feline has conquered fears and doggedly researched his way to a happy ending. Now the kitten must reconcile his new friendship with Bird, a similarly ink-heavy creature who looks like a giant single eye with the smallest of wings and a beak. Max must decide whether to follow his gut and make the small bird a snack or to embrace friendship. "But it's a rule of nature. Birds get chased by kittens," Max explains. "But friends don't eat each other up!" Bird retorts. Since Bird is too small to snack on at the moment anyway, the little creature asks Max to help him learn to fly. That involves a trip to the library ("Libraries know everything," says Bird) and advice from a pigeon. As with the previous books, Max and his companion's enormous expressiveness makes the story work, but the varying, boldly colored backgrounds and playful typography, particularly the emphatic iterations of "Flap," enhance the technique even further. Max may not seem like the best choice of friend at first, but he and Bird make a winning duo by book's end. Real warmth followed by a rush of triumph helps make this book stand out. (Picture book. 3-6)

COPYRIGHT(2017) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.