Bird & Squirrel on Ice

November 1, 2014

Gr 2-5-Bird and Squirrel crash-land at the South Pole, where they meet a spear-wielding penguin named Sakari, who believes Bird to be the Chosen One. Legend has spoken of a flying bird who will bring peace and prosperity to their penguin village, currently under threat by the Great Whale. Despite Squirrel's insistent pragmatism, Bird plays into the villagers' newfound hope and relishes in the attention of being a savior to the people. When Squirrel discovers that the chief is actually planning on offering Bird to the Great Whale, he and Sakari devise a plan to save his best friend and, with any luck, the rest of the village. Burks's follow-up to Bird & Squirrel on the Run (Scholastic, 2012) wastes no time in dropping readers into the central conflict. The tension of Bird's impending consequences is balanced well with the humor of a blissfully ignorant defender and the bewildered, jittery friend. The dialogue is minimal, and much of the scenes are communicated through the characters' facial expressions and gestures. The contrast in colors of the different kinds of ice provides a great variety of settings. The panel work includes illustrations that bleed out from the frames, contributing to the action and pace of the narrative. The brightly colored, glossy images are absorbing to the eye and the characters' plotlines are intertwined, building suspense as well as ample opportunities to play characters off of one another. Consider this a first purchase for graphic novel collections.-Matthew C. Winner, Ducketts Lane Elementary School, Elkridge, MD

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