On the Edge

Reviewed by: Jill O'Connor - North Yarmouth Academy, Yarmouth, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: January 13, 2016

Review

Those readers familiar with Bird & Squirrel will delight in this new adventure of the quirky duo. Bird is flying Squirrel home from some undisclosed adventure and just one last mountain looms in the way of their respective homes. However, Bird hears a distress cry that he cannot ignore. The pair finds a baby bear surrounded by snarling wolves. Bird, with his usual daring-do, scares the wolves off. Squirrel, with his usual nervous clumsiness, knocks Bird out with an acorn. Bird is unconscious so the pair must now walk over the mountain to get him. Fortunately, Baby Bear is there and has taken a shine to Squirrel (repeatedly licking him much to Squirrel's horror and the audience's delight), so he puts Bird on his bad and the trio marches on. When Bird does come to, he cannot remember anything, especially that he is the brave adventuring Bird or that Squirrel is his best friend (though Squirrel does sing a perfectly awful "theme song" that may have your readers/listeners giggling) or that he can fly(!). And the wolves have not forgotten the tasty-looking bear. So in addition to trying to brave the elements and cross the mountain, the trio must evade the wolves. The conclusion has a neat resolution in which Bird finally remembers who he is, Squirrel discovers how brave he can be, and Bear is reunited with its mother. A fun romp that young readers will enjoy. Put this in your graphic novel collection if you have one, and buy it, and the other Bird & Squirrel titles, if you don't and start one.

Overall Book Score: very good