If I Never Forever Endeavor

PreS-Gr 2—Meade's poetic message, delivered by a baby bird in its nest, is that you cannot succeed if you don't try. ("If in all of forever,/I never endeavor/to fly, I won't know if I can.") For a nestling, attempting to fly can be dangerous, but can also lead to finding friends, catching a meal, and seeing the world. While the message is a fine one to pass along to young children, in this instance it seems clearly intended for other young birds. The forced poetic text includes some sophisticated words and flipped phrases that hold little meaning for most preschoolers ("If I did endeavor, and found my wings clever,/I could see the world!"), yet the message itself is too simplistic for older children. The handsome artwork is clearly the focus here. Nearly all of Meade's eye-catching, stylized illustrations feature striking, patterned linoleum block prints in shades of green and brown on cutouts of tree trunks, branches, foliage, and a nest containing the yellow bird in whose voice the narrative is written. All of them are set against spreads of watercolor sky in several shades of blue and white.—Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH