What Makes a Bird? is a wonderfully thought-provoking picture book debut that ruminates on the surprisingly difficult question of how one defines a bird: Is there a single, preferred way, or is a bird, perhaps, more than simply the sum of its parts?
Through a series of well-considered questions, a brown-skinned child wearing a blue cap and kerchief and carrying binoculars tries to understand what, exactly, makes a bird. Is a bird "a bird" because of its feathers? But each feather the child finds on the beach is "not on a bird anymore," so does that make the bird "one part less bird?" Does it make the child holding the feather "one part more bird?" Maybe a bird is a bird because of its beak: there are many kinds of beaks, and whether they're "small and pointy" or "flat and rounded," every bird seems to have one. But if octopi have beaks, does that mean they are birds, too? Wings seem important, but bees also have wings. Perhaps a bird is defined by hatching from an egg. But a snake also hatches from an egg, as does a platypus, a fish, a lizard, and a turtle. If flying is the answer, "what about ostriches and emus and kiwis?"
Readers then begin to reach the crux of the matter, because now the child wonders if being a bird is "all of these things" or "none of them." And, really, who should get to decide? This book and its wise protagonist ultimately conclude that perhaps what exactly makes a bird doesn't matter; "they can be similar, different, ordinary, unique.../ and they can all still be birds."
Megan Pomper's child-friendly, contemplative text encourages scientific, empathetic, and poetic thinking that ponders deeply about the essence of bird-ness. Indeed, her story may even prompt some savvy readers to reflect on what constitutes a human being and who gets to decide. Maia Hoekstra's dynamic illustrations use natural tones combined with swirls of bright color as well as close-ups and active angles to create an impressionistic sense of a wide variety of birds and their habitats. Back matter identifies the many species pictured in the book and invites readers to create names for the three made-up birds "from the artist's imagination." What Makes a Bird? is an excellent and accessible meditation on identity. --Lynn Becker, reviewer, blogger, and children's book author
Shelf Talker: What Makes a Bird? is an accessible and contemplative picture book which considers how one might define a bird.