Froodle

April 7, 2014
Portis, whose Not a Box proposed alternative uses for a cardboard cube and whose A Penguin Story imagined how Antarctic birds regard non-wintry colors, delights in “What if?” questions. This tale begins with Crow, Dove, Cardinal, and Little Brown Bird sitting on a power line and expressing themselves with their usual “caw,” “coo,” “chip,” and “peep.” However, “Little Brown Bird didn’t want to sing the same old song,” and she experimentally chirps, “Froodle sproodle!” The large Crow sternly looks her in the eye (“Little brown birds say peep!”), and Dove nervously offers a literal olive branch (“Dove liked to keep the peace”). Goofiness prevails, however, when Cardinal exclaims, “Ickle zickle! Pickle trickle!” Crow flies away, displeased and determined to resist the antics. “Lost caws,” sighs Cardinal, until Crow returns in a better mood. Portis pictures the birds in a plain suburban backyard, and the birds’ cheerful, unorthodox sounds, pictured in voice balloons and hand-lettering, contrast with the strict horizontal and vertical lines. Be prepared for cries of “Oobly snoobly!” and “Cloggen Zoggen Itsyboggen!” after the book is finished. Ages 4–8. Agency: East West Literary Agency.

Starred review from April 1, 2014
When Little Brown Bird decides to sing something silly, most birds in the neighborhood follow her lead, but crows can't be silly, can they? The creator of A Penguin Story (2009) returns with another imaginative solution to monotony and predictability in the natural world. "All year long," the narration begins, ."..the birds in the neighborhood went...." The words "caw," "coo," "chip" and "peep" repeat in speech bubbles, varied only in the order of their appearance. Then, one day, Little Brown Bird tries something new. "Froodle sproodle!" extends across a lengthy spread, its font emphasizing the shocking surprise. On the next spread, matched in magnitude, an unamused crow stares down at the miscreant, but Little Brown Bird can't resist. Soon, Cardinal and Dove are experimenting, too. As the silliness spreads, the story actually turns sideways for a moment, forcing readers to physically rotate the book 90 degrees. Repeat listeners will gleefully join in with the rhyming dialogue bubbles. The mixed-media illustrations created with pencil, charcoal and ink and with digitally added color are made up of simple and stylized images, but the birds are recognizable. "The neighborhood was never the same," the narrator reports, and neither will be the charmed listeners and readers of this cheerful invitation to invention. (Picture book. 4-7)

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May 1, 2014

PreS-K-All of the birds say, "caw," "coo," "chip," or "peep," except Little Brown Bird, who wants to try something different. She finds it more enjoyable to say things like, "Froodle sproodle" and "Tiffle biffle, /just a little/miffle!" Crow is annoyed, especially when the other birds join in, but who could resist participating in fun like this? Portis's fun story is filled with humor and silly rhyming words that both children and adults will appreciate. The detailed illustrations, done in a glowing palette of pencil, charcoal, and ink, are featured on multiple spreads throughout the book. Although the narrative text is small and gets lost in a sea of grass or bushes at times, the birds' speech balloons are bold and provide a great opportunity for children to practice sounding out words (even if they are made up). The cadence of the birds' dialogue might take a few read-throughs to get used to, but that will only provide more laughs in the meantime. This book will work in many settings and is certain to prompt giggles from young audiences.-Megan Egbert, Meridian Library District, ID

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2014
Preschool-G A little brown bird is sick of peeping like she's supposed to and lets out an unexpected Froodle. Her other bird friends are shocked, but soon Cardinal is spouting Ickle zickle instead of Chirp, and Dove sings Oobly snoobly instead of Coo. Crow, who is not silly, tries to keep the other birds in line, but they're having too much fun to listen, and Crow flies off since there is no such thing as a silly black crow! Silliness is contagious, though, and Crow can't stay away for long. Portis (Not a Box, 2007) places the simply drawn birds with thick outlines on soft, pleasing background scenes in muted tones. Her dynamic variety of perspectives adds drama and humor, such as when Crow looms large over the little brown bird in a close-up spread or when Crow hops ever closer as the birds can be seen from afar perched on a moonlit hedgerow. The big, bold speech balloons filled with irresistible nonsense words make this a great choice for shared read-alouds.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)