Early Bird

October 21, 2013
Yuly debuts with an energetic story of an early-rising red bird, which also introduces a handful of directional prepositions. Outlined in black, Early Bird has the swoopy shape of a tilde, with a cluster of black teardrop wings and big, round eyes. After awakening, she stretches, “takes a deep breath of fresh morning air and then Early Bird gets going!” The bird’s rambles take her “across the grass/ through the flowerbed/ under the spiderweb/ up the path” and beyond. Yuly’s digital artwork is eye-catching and elementally simple. Full of bright colors and clean shapes, the illustrations initially look like they could have been dashed off in a few minutes, but strong layouts and surprising details are evident, from the eyelashes of the sun that barely peeks over the horizon to the surly look that a cat gives Early Bird as she flies overhead (no Early Cat, that one). This Early Bird does indeed get the worm, and what she does (and doesn’t) do with it creates some fun moments of suspense and humor in the final pages. Ages 1–3. Agent: Lori Kilkelly, Rodeen Literary Management.

March 1, 2014

PreS-Based on the popular idiom "The early bird catches the worm," Yuly's story follows Early Bird as she gets an early start, taking off before the sun has even finished climbing over the horizon. Early Bird darts through the pages of the book, until at last she finds the Early Worm and the book ends in a happy surprise. This cheerful story moves at a zippy pace and is packed with directional words such as "across," "through," "under," "up," "around," and "over." Early Bird is feisty and full of energy and is drawn with thick lines and colored bright red, which suits her spirited characterization. Rendered in pen and ink and digital media, the illustrations are crisp and vibrant, featuring bold colors, chunky lines, and large, simple shapes. A big, white font allows the words to pop against the colorful images, and the text is laid out to match the directional words used on each page. With its snappy text, vivid pictures, and lively protagonist, this title would make for a fun read-aloud during storyhour.-Laura J. Giunta, Garden City Public Library, NY

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from February 15, 2014
Preschool-K *Starred Review* Here's a book that is not just a smart story but one that has myriad uses as well. With simple geometric shapes and pure colors, Yuly introduces Early Bird, who, as one would suspect, likes to rise and shine. As the pages turn, the sky changes shades of blue. Strong verbs explain how the bird stands tall, breathes deeply, and then gets going, across the grass and under the spiderweb, until she finally arrives at the garden, where she spies a worm. And yes, this early bird does get the worm. (In one delightful picture, she has picked it up in her beak, and it looks like a mustache.) Kids who know about birds and worms may be a little nervous at this point, especially after the worm is carefully placed on a strawberry. Happily, the berry is for them to share, and together they enjoy breakfast. It's unusual for a book this straightforward to accomplish several things, but this succeeds. Yuly offers a story that has action and tension, while at the same timewith the help of parents and teachersextends the way kids think about words. A simple exercise would be to ask them other things Early Bird might do, thereby emphasizing verbs and prepositions. A fun way to learn.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)