THREE LITTLE BIRDS

A colorful trio of birds deals with hurtful gossip (and discovers some new colors).

Red, Yellow, and Blue sit on a wire, chirping about the day. When Red and Yellow fly off to find some food, Blue turns understandably sad. The arrival of two new birds, Violet and Green, lifts Blue’s spirits. But still hurt, Blue lies, telling Violet and Green that Red has criticized Yellow; Violet and Green fly away to verify this rumor. Now Blue feels guilty, worse than ever. Green spies Orange, playing in a birdbath, and flies down to deliver the news. Meanwhile, Violet encounters Pink and shares the story. When all these birds find and confront Red, who denies it, they decide to visit Blue to learn the truth. Red and Yellow and Violet and Green and Orange and Pink and Blue all sit quietly on a wire, waiting to see what will happen next. After a couple of evasions, Blue comes clean, admitting that he lied. Red is very angry but holds his temper. He asks Blue why he lied, and, when he realizes that Blue’s feelings were hurt, Red apologizes. So does Blue. Seven chirping friends sit on a wire. Mullady’s valuable lesson sneaks up on readers, delivered with appropriate gentleness. Reed’s cute birds are right in line. An afterword discusses hurt feelings, conflict, and gossip.

Genuinely sweet.