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PICTURE BOOKS
Derby, Cindy

Two Many Birds

48 pp. | Roaring Brook | November, 2020 | Trade ISBN 978-1-250-23254-0 $18.99
(2) K-3 Birds of various forms and colors (impressionistically rendered with hip outfits) rest in the branches of a tree with a clearly labeled maximum occupancy of 100. An official- and stern-looking gray bird--the Bird Monitor--enforces the limit and manages the line of birds waiting for their turn: "15 Minute Wait at This Point." The birds are obedient but sullen-looking. New rules keep appearing, ever more arbitrary and senseless: "No nesting! No resting! No hair gel! No nudity!" Occupancy is reached when an egg hatches--with twins--atop another bird's head, thus jacking up the total number of birds in the tree to 102. The Bird Monitor loses it: the sky turns red and the vibrant watercolors appear messier as the furious enforcer yells "TWO MANY BIRDS!!!" and reaches for a net. The group finally rebels, swarming to create the shape of a giant bird (à la Leo Lionni's Swimmy, rev. 8/63) and swooping at the Bird Monitor in a full-fledged uprising. By the end, the Bird Monitor isn't entirely repentant, but the creatures now work together to cultivate several trees: "No more waiting!" There is a steady and engaging rhythm to the clever hand-lettered text, and visual jokes abound (for example, a bird with squiggling legs waits outside a "bird-a-potty"). This playful and multilayered story has the potential to spark laughs as well as conversations about order, rules, power, and community.
Reviewer: Elisa Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2021

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