Bird Hugs

by Ged Adamson

Overview

Bernard isn’t like other birds. His wings are impossibly long, and try as he might, he just can’t seem to fly. He’s left wondering what his wings are good for…if they’re even good for anything at all. But a chance encounter with a dejected orangutan leads Bernard to a surprising discovery: that maybe what makes him different is actually something to be embraced.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781542092715
Publisher:	Two Lions
Publication date:	02/01/2020
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	8.70(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.60(d)
Lexile:	AD480L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Ged Adamson is a children’s book author and illustrator. His picture books include A Fox Found a Box; Douglas, You Need Glasses!; Shark Dog!; and Ava and the Rainbow (Who Stayed). He has also worked as a cartoonist, storyboard artist, and composer for film and TV. He lives in London with his partner, Helen, and son, Rex.

Editorial Reviews

Readers will agree: All differences should be hugged, er, embraced.” —Kirkus Reviews

“The lesson is a simple, familiar one—selflessness and sympathy are key to making friends—but Adamson’s gentle humor and his eager-eyed characters’ yearning become an eloquent testimony to the power of a little TLC.” —Publishers Weekly

“Adamson’s warm and expressive watercolor and pencil illustrations show Bernard wrapped around a ticklish crocodile, snuggled up beside a blissed-out bunny, and patiently listening to a bat’s troubles during an evening therapy session. This small bird discovers he can reach new heights by leaning on his peers…Told with humor and heart, this sweet friendship tale soars.” —School Library Journal

“[A] humorous story with an important takeaway: our differences can be the very thing that make us dear to others, and embracing those differences can lead to the best things in life.” —Booklist

“Adamson’s watercolor and pencil art moves from vibrant full spreads to vignette-styled pages, lending both movement and focus, and wide-eyed, lavender-hued Bernard cuts an appealingly quirky figure with his wiggly wings…a celebration of cuddles and snuggles.” —The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

From the Publisher

2019-09-29
Watch out, Hug Machine (Scott Campbell, 2014), there's another long-limbed lover of squeezes in the mix.

Bernard, a tiny, lavender bird, dejectedly sits atop a high branch. His wings droop all the way to the ground. Heaving a sigh, his disappointment is palpable. With insufferably long wings, he has never been able to fly. All of his friends easily took to the skies, leaving him behind. There is nothing left to do but sit in his tree and feel sorry for himself. Adamson amusingly shows readers the passage of time with a sequence of vignettes of Bernard sitting in the rain, the dark, and amid a cloud of paper wasps—never moving from his branch. Then one day he hears a sob and finds a tearful orangutan. Without even thinking, Bernard wraps his long wings around the great ape. The orangutan is comforted! Bernard has finally found the best use of his wings. In gentle watercolor and pencil sketches, Adamson slips in many moments of humor. Animals come from all over to tell Bernard their troubles (a lion muses that it is "lonely at the top of the food chain" while a bat worries about missing out on fun during the day). Three vertical spreads that necessitate a 90-degree rotation add to the fun.

Readers will agree: All differences should be hugged, er, embraced. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews