Review of The Bird Ride

[Kaylee Elmer]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Bird Ride" by Wade W. Bergner.]

---

4 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

The Bird Ride by Wade W. Bergner is a cute children’s book. It is part of the Emotional Agility Matters series, which is meant to provoke the discussion of emotions for kids. In the story, a young boy is playing with his cars like he always does. While playing, a blue bird lands near him. The boy makes eye contact with the bird and instantly feels connected with it. He magically shrinks and goes for a ride on the bird. What will the boy and the bird see? What will the boy learn?

There was actually nothing I disliked about this book! One of the things I liked most was the illustrations. Galia Labowitz brought the story to life with her art. She showed the connection between the boy and the bird. There’s also a beautiful picture showing a girl and a dog playing together. She managed to show the positive energy the pair was giving off. The images are definitely a great addition to the book. When pictures are this amazing, the reader doesn’t have to work as hard to imagine what is happening.

The other thing I liked most was the author’s writing style. The book is from the point of view of the little boy but is written more maturely. There are a lot of similes to really add description. For example, the author compares the feeling the boy gets from the bird to the same feeling of unconditional love he gets from his grandparents. Or, he compares sitting on the bird to sitting on a pile of pillows; it is soft but unstable. The similes help the reader imagine what the boy is going through. You can almost put yourself in his place.

This book would be best suited for kids who are a little older. There are some big words for kids, such as: elated, hoisted, prominently, and pondering. However, if a parent was reading along with a child, they could help explain those words.

I would happily rate The Bird Ride 4 out of 4 stars. I wouldn’t rate it any lower because there was nothing I disliked about it. It was well-written and professionally edited. I loved the message of the book and the illustrations.

The Bird Ride was a fantastic book. At the end of the story, there were also discussion questions to help children talk about their emotions. I plan on reading this book to my kids. I highly recommend it!

******
The Bird Ride
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon