Here are 100 books that Bird Boy fans have personally recommended if you like
Bird Boy.
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From my work as a playwright and breakbeat poet, Artistic Director of Seattle Children’s Theatre, and full-time co-parent, I've dedicated my career to crafting engaging narratives that resonate across generations. With over sixty original plays to my name, I've honed a unique approach that intertwines hip-hop rhythms with rich storytelling. My debut picture book is a testament to this approach—inviting children and parents to discover the boundless creativity that can be found in everyday spaces. It’s my hope that this book inspires families to explore their homes with fresh eyes and open hearts, turning reading into an adventure of imagination.
Your Name Is A Song is a deeply personal book for anyone who's ever felt their name was misunderstood. This story celebrates the melody and significance of names from various cultures, encouraging children to take pride in their identities.
Having grown up with a unique name myself, I understand the importance of this affirmation. This book is a powerful tool for empowerment and inclusivity, teaching both children and adults to appreciate the diversity and beauty of names and the stories they carry.
Frustrated by a day full of teachers and classmates mispronouncing her beautiful name, a little girl tells her mother she never wants to come back to school. In response, the girl's mother teaches her about the musicality of African, Asian, Black-American, Latinx, and Middle Eastern names on their lyrical walk home through the city. Empowered by this newfound understanding, the young girl is ready to return the next day to share her knowledge with her class. Your Name is a Song is a celebration to remind all of us about the beauty, history, and magic behind names.
I was bullied as a child, both at home and in school. My parents always took my little sister’s side, and punished me. When I got bullied at school, my parents and teachers just told me to work harder on throwing a ball. My escape was books. I found it reassuring that kids in books who got bullied survived and learned and had fun in their lives even if they also had to deal with bullying.
Asking a kind person to do a good deed isn’t usually considered bullying. But there is such a thing as taking advantage of kindness.
Mayzie, the lazy bird, convinces Horton to sit on her egg while she takes a vacation. She promises to be back soon, but doesn’t keep her word. Soon all the other animals tease Horton for sitting on that egg. But Horton sits on that egg, through rain, snow, and heat. He even keeps his word when hunters capture him and take him, egg, nest, tree, and all to America and sell him to a circus.
Mayzie only shows up when her baby is hatching. Suess comes up with a happy ending.
Horton the elephant babysits an egg in this classic tale of kindness from Dr. Seuss.
Everyone laughs when Horton the Elephant offers to sit on Mayzie bird's egg while she goes on holiday. Horton's kindness and faithfulness are sorely tested when he, and the egg, are kidnapped and sold to a circus - but his reward for being faithful is more wonderful than he could ever have dreamed!
With his unique combination of hilarious stories, zany pictures and riotous rhymes, Dr. Seuss has been delighting young children and helping them learn to read for over fifty years. Creator of the…
I’m a believer that kids can be creative, powerful problem-solvers–for themselves but also as mediators in their schools. I’ve been a school mediation trainer for over 30 years and know that learning someone else’s story brings empathy, understanding, and caring, and solutions can be found. I love delightful picture books that make this truth come alive for kids and adults alike, and I use them in trainings and just for my own inspiration and joy. I’ve also written YA (for all ages), including the novel Encounter: When Religions Become Classmates–From Oregon to India and Back. I want to make ripples for good in our world.
The story is clever, engaging, and a whole lot of fun!
Who wouldn’t understand why this boy needs to get Jeremy Ross out of his life so he can have the perfect summer he was planning on? And who wouldn’t be curious about the idea that Dad’s enemy pie could do the trick?
I find it just as fun as the students I read it to when they are training to be mediators for their school! I love that this book invites us to learn more about someone before we put them on our enemy list. And the bold, wild illustrations make me giggle!
It was the perfect summer. That is, until Jeremy Ross moved into the house down the street and became neighborhood enemy number one. Luckily Dad had a surefire way to get rid of enemies: Enemy Pie. But part of the secret recipe is spending an entire day playing with the enemy!
In this funny yet endearing story, one little boy learns an effective recipes for turning your best enemy into your best friend. Accompanied by charming illustrations, Enemy Pie serves up a sweet lesson in the difficulties and ultimate rewards of making new friends.
I was bullied as a child, both at home and in school. My parents always took my little sister’s side, and punished me. When I got bullied at school, my parents and teachers just told me to work harder on throwing a ball. My escape was books. I found it reassuring that kids in books who got bullied survived and learned and had fun in their lives even if they also had to deal with bullying.
Dragon was terrible. In fact, he was super terrible. He was rude and noisy and took things from babies.
The king offered a prize to the knight who could tame this terrible dragon. The knights all battled the dragon. None of them could tame him. Then all the people of the kingdom decided that they had had enough of this terrible dragon.
They offered the king’s prize to anyone (didn’t have to be a knight) who could tame this dragon. Lots of people tried to defeat the dragon in battle. They all failed. Then a boy gets a different idea. He writes a story and reads it to the dragon.
This story and this approach are so different from what everybody else has tried that the dragon – oh – I’m not going to tell you what the dragon does – read this – it’s good!
We all know dragons are terrible, but this one is especially terrible. He scribbles in books. He steals candy from baby unicorns. He even burps in church. Seriously, who does that? Dragon, that's who. The king, the knights, and the villagers are desperate to take down this beast once and for all. But sometimes it's up to the unlikeliest of heroes to tame a dragon this terrible.
As we grow up, the special relationships with family, friends, and caregivers are what give us our sense of place in the world, make us feel loved, teach us the important things in life, and give us the courage to face each step from childhood to adulthood and beyond. Therefore I love books that celebrate these very special people in our lives.
Richly illustrated, this tender book depicts a conversation between a father and daughter; the promises he makes to her, the worries and reassurances, and the hopes and dreams. Oliver Jeffers books are always wonderfully unique and beautifully lyrical.
A father and daughter set about laying the foundations for their life together. Using their own special tools, they get to work; building memories to cherish, a home to keep them safe, and love to keep them warm. A heartfelt poignant story.
From Oliver Jeffers, world-renowned picture book creator and illustrator of The Crayons' Christmas, comes a gorgeously told father-daughter story and companion to the #1 New York Times bestseller Here We Are!
What shall we build, you and I? Let's gather all our tools for a start. For putting together . . . and taking apart.
A father and daughter set about laying the foundations for their life together. Using their own special tools, they get to work, building memories to cherish, a home to keep them safe, and love to keep them warm.
I have published over 50 books, including award-winning and bestselling titles. I am also a publishing executive and editor with 20+ years of professional experience. My latest The Twins of Auschwitz: The Inspiring True Story of Young Girl Surviving Mengele’s Hell, with Eva Kor, got a stellar review by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and is an international bestseller. As well as spearheading four publishing startups, I have run my own business, Editorial Services of L.A. I was Editorial/Publishing Director for Golden Books, Price Stern Sloan, Intervisual Books, Hooked on Phonics, and more. I am also the Publisher & Editor in Chief of NY Journal Of Books, the premier online-only book review site.
Written and illustrated by David Shannon, this delightful story is about a “temporary fairy” who aims to be a “permanent fairy,” but can’t quite seem to get there. Using a wand and ordinary items from her world, she effects “magic” on everything she touches, to measurable success—except when she turns a white dress into a red one and The Duchess locks her into a tower. (She escapes.) A fun story for fairy lovers!
Caldecott Honor artist and bestselling author David Shannon's warm and funny new picture book introduces Alice, a mischievous little girl with a "No, David" nose for trouble and a magic wand.
Alice has a nose for trouble, but luckily she's a fairy--a Temporary Fairy. She has a magic wand, fairy wings, and a blanket, all of which she uses to disappear, to fly, to transform her dad into a horse, and to turn his cookies into her own! There are still a few things Alice needs to learn to become a Permanent Fairy, like how to float her dog on…
I love to write stories of historical injustice, so this is mainly the genre I read. In recent years, many new novels merely rehashed the same theme, such as the horror show known as Auschwitz or the other camps. Although those are worthy of the people who died there, I’m always on the hunt for a fresh story that has never been told about those tragic years.
It’s Poland 1941, and Roza and her 5-year-old daughter Shira are hiding in a neighbor’s barn, and hoping beyond hope that they will remain safe, because the rest of their family has all been taken away. This is a lyrical read which many musical analogies since Shira is a musical prodigy. I loved this book because you are right there, staying silent, while trying to create a life with your daughter. This was inspired by the true stories of hidden children during WWII and stayed with me long after.
'Prepare to have your heart broken' - Good Housekeeping Woman & Home Book Club Pick
Poland, 1941. A mother. A child. An impossible choice.
After the Jews in their town are rounded up, Roza and her five-year-old daughter, Shira, seek shelter in a local farmer's barn. They spend their days and nights in silence to avoid being caught.
When their safe haven is shattered, Roza faces an impossible choice: whether to keep her daughter close by her side, or give her the chance to survive by letting her go.
A deeply moving novel about the unbreakable bond between parent and…
Who doesn’t like space? I love learning about space!
Tip: Picture books are easier to comprehend compared to graduate courses – there’s only so much of Newton-Euler dynamics, inertia tensors, eccentricity vectors, etc. one can handle. Plus, there are no nasty mind-boggling equations in picture books. I mean, do you really want to calculate the maximum flight path angle and the true anomaly at which it occurs? Or solve Kepler’s equations for hyperbolic eccentric anomaly? No, right? Always stick to the picture book if you have a choice!
I mentioned some fun picture books (fiction and non-fiction)with amusing or complementing illustrations that helped me on my journey to understanding space. Enjoy!
In this brilliant book, the author draws parallels between the first day of kindergarten and a space mission – it turns out the two are not that different, after all. There are gravity issues in kindergarten as well, with kids trying hard to stay in their seats, and hands flying up. There’s the equivalent commander in the teacher, mission control in the principal, crewmates, experiments, and a flight plan! Peppered with space lingo, this charming book is double the reading pleasure, with its combined introduction to space and kindergarten. I am all set for kindergarten now. Can’t wait! Again, a great read for little humans.
Suit up for a daring adventure as our hero navigates the unknown reaches and alien inhabitants of a planet called . . . Kindergarten. This clever book will prepare bold young explorers for their next mission-whether it's a strange, new world . . . or somewhere much closer to home.
Wade Bradford is the author of several picture books, including There’s a Dinosaur on the 13th Floor and Papa Bear’s Page Fright. He has written over forty plays for young performers, and one middle-grade novel: Camp Omigosh.
A child and his crayon bring a world to life. I can’t think of a better example of the power of the imagination. I was a slow reader throughout elementary school. I preferred books with lots of pictures instead of a lot of words. So, it’s no surprise that I fell in love with Harold and his purple crayon. This book inspired me to create drawings of my own… and eventually just as Johnson does in this classic picture book, I began to combine my drawings with words. I began telling stories.
From beloved children’s book creator Crockett Johnson comes the timeless classic Harold and the Purple Crayon! This imagination-sparking picture book belongs on every child's bookshelf, and this board book edition features sturdy pages and is just the right size for young dreamers.
One evening Harold decides to go for a walk in the moonlight. Armed only with an oversize purple crayon, young Harold draws himself a landscape full of wonder and excitement.
Harold and his trusty crayon travel through woods and across seas and past dragons before returning to bed, safe and sound. Full of funny twists and surprises, this…
I am a freelance journalist and have written on many topics related to Arabs, Muslims and immigrants. I also teach an intercultural communication class at the University of Toledo and have taught Arab culture in the past. I have a master’s degree in Education with a focus on teaching English as a second language.
My Mommy’s Khimar by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow and illustrated by Ebony Glenn was one of the first picture books by a traditionally published author I read and I was hooked! I love the relationship between the mom and child, but also the grandma, who is not Muslim, but so loved by mom and child. It’s a tender and fun story for kids to enjoy!
Selected as a Best Book of 2018 by NPR, Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, and Shelf Awareness!
A young Muslim girl spends a busy day wrapped up in her mother's colorful headscarf in this sweet and fanciful picture book from debut author and illustrator Jamilah Tompkins-Bigelow and Ebony Glenn.
A khimar is a flowing scarf that my mommy wears. Before she walks out the door each day, she wraps one around her head.
A young girl plays dress up with her mother's headscarves, feeling her mother's love with every one she tries on. Charming and vibrant illustrations showcase the beauty…
