Two Nests

PreS-Gr 2—Betty and Paul meet at the top of a cherry tree in the fall. These two funny birds build a nest to stay cozy throughout the cold winter, and by the time the cherry blossoms arrive, so does a little egg. Adorable Baby Bird is soon born, and life seems happy enough. But then the laundry and dirty dishes pile up, and Paul and Betty start to squabble. They decide the nest isn't big enough for all three of them, so Paul moves out to build his own nest on the opposite end of the tree. Everyone is sad, but Betty assures Baby Bird: "You had a home,/now you have two,/four little words, dear-/We Both Love You." When summer comes, Baby Bird flies back and forth between the nests. Anholt's rhymes are bouncy, and Coplestone's watercolor illustrations are full of colorful curlicues. However, the bright pictures and tone of the book at the beginning are so cheerful that the parents' breakup comes as an unexpected shock. The reason for the split seems superficial-the nest was crowded. One may wonder why they just didn't build a bigger one so they would all fit. The sudden twist from a happy family tale to an allegory for divorce is disturbing.—Martha Simpson, Stratford Library Association, CT