Early Bird: A Picture Book

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. (Jan.)

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