Little Bird Lost

Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite Little Bird Lost is a children’s book by writer Kate Larkinson and photographer Steve Larkinson. After discovering and photographing a family of swallows in a bakery in the south of France, the Larkinson duo endeavoured to develop an endearing bedtime story for youngsters, to be read by parents or for first-time readers to practice with. Told in rhyming couplets, the tale recounts the moment when the fourth of the baby birds is pushed out of sight by the other three, and it’s up to the mother and father birds to discover where they’ve hidden him. The overall theme hints at parents loving all their children equally. For me, Little Bird Lost exemplifies exactly what a picture book should be for the 3-5 year age group. The rhymes by Kate Larkinson are simple, sweet, and just a little repetitive to help children get to know the rhythm of the storytelling, and they leave plenty of room for dutiful parents to put on their best squeak and do impressions of the talking birds. It is also refreshing to see such delightful photographic images being used in a picture book. Steve Larkinson’s excellent clear shots of the goings-on in the nest bring the reality of nature to children in this book, which I find highly original. The educational resources provided in the back of the book to aid first tries at counting are also a thoughtful and useful addition. Overall, Little Bird Lost is a fun, fresh and functional bedtime story that will educate and entertain.

Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite Little Bird Lost: A Rhyming Picture Story is a children's picture book written by Kate Larkinson with photography by Steve Larkinson. High up in the corner of a building is a nest with baby birds hungrily waiting for their parents to feed them. There should be four babies in that nest, but suddenly one seems to be missing. The other birds are all sitting right there in the front of the nest, but the fourth little one is nowhere to be seen. When their mother comes with food, she wonders about the number of babies she should be feeding and is sure someone's missing, but the three babies assure her that everyone's there. Dad's not falling for their tricks though, and he searches behind them to find the little one so he can get his share of the food. Kate Larkinson and Steve Larkinson's children's picture book, Little Bird Lost: A Rhyming Picture Story, combines a marvelous photographic series of wildlife pictures with an entertaining and educational story in rhyme. Kate Larkinson's rhymed verse works perfectly with Steve's live-action photographs. You can almost hear those hungry birds cheeping madly as they impatiently wait for food and hold their mouths wide open. There's more than entertainment and fabulous photographs, however, as Kate also introduces numbers and counting, as well as directions into the story. Little Bird Lost provides parents and teachers with an excellent way to continue the lesson by having the new readers count the birds in the nest and point out directions from one panel to the next. Little Bird Lost: A Rhyming Picture Story is most highly recommended.

Little Bird Lost: A Rhymimg Picture Story by Katie Larkinson Adorable!  I just love the way this reads.  I have 5 grandchildren the oldest of which is in kindergarden. I can hardly wait to let her read it to me!  Larkinson has written the couplets in such a beautiful, sing-song story I predict children will love it! The pictures are a nature lesson in and of themselves.  I think it is just charming this couple merged his photography of nature and her creative writing into our Little Bird Lost story. Note: I was give an e-book copy in exchange for an honest review which I have provided.

Every now and again we experience something that feels a bit akin to magic. Sometimes it is in our discovery of simple things around us. Other times we may happen upon an unusual event--quite by accident. On occasion, those events change our lives. They give us a fresh look at the world at large, and of our place in it. It seems that just that happened one day when Steve Larkinson, camera in hand, came upon squabbling birds in a nest. He raced to capture the best shots and thereafter, presented his picture-story to Kate Larkinson. She, mesmerized, added to his shots, easy, melodic prose that may be enjoyed by both the young and the young-at-heart. Thus, the Literary Classics’ award-winning, Little Bird Lost, was born. In a story that will show children the importance of family and of each member in one, Kate and Steve Larkinson take children on a real-life adventure in Little Bird Lost. In doing so, they share a little magic with anyone who happens along the way.

Little Bird Lost is a literary labor of love brought on by a lucky encounter. Steve Larkinson happened upon a nest with some baby birds and was able to capture some winning photos of a mother and father bird caring for their little ones. Inspired by these photos, Kate Larkinson penned a lovely poem which is perfectly paired in this wonderful little book. Delightfully uncomplicated, remarkably simplistic, Little Bird Lost is likely to warm the hearts of readers young and old as they witness the love and care exhibited for four little birds. Little Bird Lost is recommended for home and school libraries and has earned the Literary Classics Seal of Approval.

Reviewed by Valerie Rouse for Readers' Favorite Little Bird Lost is a story book which caters to preschoolers. It is based on four hungry little birds in their nest, looking forward to their next meal. Unfortunately, three of them were very greedy and wanted all of the food. They deliberately created a barricade and blocked their little brother, thereby keeping him at the back of the nest. When Mother Bird flew into the nest to check on her darling birds, she discovered that she could only see three of her babies! She wondered where her other baby could be? Papa Bird saw what the problem was and quickly rescued the hidden bird and brought him forward to feed him. Their loving mother swooped down again, ensuring that all her babies were nourished and comfortable. Little Bird Lost is an attractive book that encourages learning for little ones. Author Kate Larkinson utilized rhythm and rhyme in the wording. This promotes continuity of each page and engages the attention of the reader. The author’s tactic of placing the words at the top and the bottom of the pages with real photos in the middle was a clever one. This enables the child to zoom in on the changing pictures and absorb the complete story. The bold lettering also helps to draw the reader into the developing plot. Interestingly enough, the theme of good overcoming bad is a pleasant distraction. In addition, I appreciate the skill of the photographer. It is obvious that a lot of effort and time was put into each photograph. Little Bird Lost is a good book for little readers.

Reviewed by Michelle Stanley for Readers' Favorite Little Bird Lost is a picture book for small children by Kate Larkinson and Steve Larkinson. There should be four baby birds in the nest, but Momma bird only sees three when she returns home to feed them. There should be more, she tells herself. The naughty birds try to convince their mom that she only has three hungry little ones so that they will get more food. Their dad notices something is wrong when he arrives. He wants to know what the trio is hiding behind their backs, but the little birds pretend there is nothing there. Daddy bird does not believe them and makes a fuss. He spots the fourth one just in time as mom brings more food for her greedy little family. Little Bird Lost is a book for the pre-schoolers age group. Kate Larkinson pens a nice rhyming tale inspired by the cute photos of birds in their nest, taken by Steve Larkinson. These nature photos will give readers the opportunity to see how a family of birds looks in their nest. This short story teaches children simple addition and subtraction as they learn to count the numbers one to four and know the difference between left and right. There is also a website address where teachers and parents can download free educational materials relating to this book and other resources. Little Bird Lost is a simple, but interesting story by Kate Larkinson and Steve Larkinson. Readers will find the lovely cover illustration eye-catching too.

Reviewed by Jane Finch for Readers' Favorite Little Bird Lost written by Kate Larkinson and with photographs by Steve Larkinson is the story of a family of birds. There are the parents and four baby birds. Or is it three? Mother bird is sure she has four youngsters, but there are only three gaping mouths when she brings home the food. She is so busy trying to feed her brood that she doesn’t have time to stop and count them. It is only when the father bird arrives that he realises something is wrong. Despite assurances from the little ones that all is well and there really is just the three of them to feed, he discovers what they are trying to hide. This is a delightful story, simple yet succinct, and told in rhyme by Kate Larkinson. It is also quite refreshing to see accompanying photographs rather than illustrations, which really makes the story seem plausible and real to life. The simplicity of the story is endearing and will appeal to early readers, but would also be delightful for a parent to read to a child and enable the parent to expand on further discussion such as the importance of family and supporting one another. The idea of using photographs will also help the young reader to understand and appreciate the natural world around them rather than look upon the tale as just another children’s story. It would be a great prelude to going outside and looking at the birds in the garden. There is also a short interactive session at the end which makes a nice addition to follow on from the story.

Grab cookies, a glass of milk, and this adorable book, Little Bird Lost! Snuggle up with your child under a cozy blanket and start counting baby birds. One little bird, two little birds, three little birds… But why do the three little birds have sneaky faces? What are they hiding from mom and dad? Before I knew it, I was off on an exciting adventure, looking for the fourth baby bird. What a great idea to have fun with a young child while looking for the lost birdie! The simple bouncing words beautifully complement the darling pictures, which were taken by a talented photographer in his spare moments. It’s true that nature creates the best stories. My compliments to writer Kate Larkinson, who beautifully transformed a great scene into words, and her husband, Steve, who caught a fascinating story on camera, appealing for any age. This sort of photography is a great way to teach children about nature and behavior. Children will easily relate to the birdies, which tried to outsmart their mommy and daddy. Little did they know that their parents were once children too. This darling book is a fantastic choice for preschoolers and parents who like to read to toddlers or teach their children to read. The story is short and easy to follow. It is happy and lively. I read it a few times just for the pure joy of it. A great teaching tool to introduce children to the wonder of nature and reading! I cannot wait to read this darling book to my grandson when he turns three years old. A sweet children’s book for the little ones in your life! Thank you for the smile! Well done, Kate and Steve! A baby bird’s cuteness!

These sweet photos of birds with the accompanying rhyming story is wonderful. I want to recommend this for parents of young readers, or those younger who will enjoy the photos of baby birds. Kudos to the author and her photographer husband.