Product Description

A gentle and encouraging lesson on the delicacies of caring for others.

When Mole finds a baby bird injured and alone he takes it home to look after it very carefully. But soon Mole has the greatest dilemma of all - is the baby bird going to be a pet or is it going to be free? Mole is guided by two wonderful, carefully observed parents and a kind and thoughtful grandfather into making his final and touching decision. This tender and most gentle of picture books explores important and big themes in the most understated and subtle way. Like all Patrick Benson picture books, this story has the feeling of a children's classic in the making

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #554656 in Books
• Published on: 2003-09-30
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

From Amazon.com
This sweet, simple story from Marjorie Newman (The King and the Cuddly) and award-winning Scottish illustrator Patrick Benson (The Sea-Thing Child) somehow avoids cliché while teaching one of life's oldest lessons: if you love something, you really shouldn't hold it prisoner in a tiny, handmade wooden cage.

With spare text, Newman explains how Mole finds a baby bird that has fallen out of its nest, apparently abandoned. ("Mole waited and waited, but no big bird came to help it.") He takes the tiny bird home to keep, despite his parents' warnings: "'It's my pet bird,' said Mole. 'It's not a pet bird. It's a wild bird,' said his mother." Eventually, the baby bird tries to fly, and the earnest, industrious Mole builds a cage (with the bird's help!) to keep him from leaving. ("He put the bird into its new cage. The bird was sad. Mole's mother was sad, too. But Mole kept his bird, because he loved it.") Eventually, it falls to visiting Grandad to gently nudge Mole into doing what he knows he must.

As in The Sea-Thing Child (with Russell Hoban), Benson's understated artwork helps to keep this fairly adult message accessible for wee ones, with thoughtful compositions that carry the meter towards the book's inevitable end. But Benson's most memorable accomplishment is the subtly sad and comic baby bird, who regularly peeks out to look directly at the reader. (Ages 4 to 8) --Paul Hughes

From Publishers Weekly
With just a sentence or two per page, British author Newman conveys to youngest readers the importance of allowing others to be free to be themselves. When young Mole happens upon an abandoned baby bird, he brings the tiny creature home with him. Mole quickly falls into the caretaker role assisted by his kind but realistic mother (It's very, very hard to take care of a baby bird) building the bird a nest and gathering it some food. But as the bird grows healthy and shows signs of wanting to fly, Mole confines his feathered friend to a wooden cage. Eventually, his parents gentle remarks (when Mole calls it his pet bird, each parent in turn replies, It s not a pet bird. It's a wild bird) and a hilltop walk with his grandfather help lead Mole to the conclusion that the baby bird deserves its freedom. With a quietly resonating tone, Newman tackles heart-tugging issues the responsibilities of pet care, the pain of loss, respect for the natural world that many parents will find familiar. Benson's (Owl Babies) serene ink-and-watercolor illustrations capture springtime in the country in all its sunny, leafy-green finery. With cozy accents, a quilt, a china cupboard, a stack of picture books, carefully placed windows he manages to make Mole's underground home equally bright and inviting. And the cast of critters each a skillful cross between realistic and anthropomorphic is sure to charm. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 2-Little Mole finds a baby bird that has fallen out of its nest and, when no help arrives, takes it home. Despite warnings from his mother that the bird might not live, it thrives under Mole's care. Afraid that the bird will fly away, he builds a sturdy cage for it, even though his parents tell him that his pet should be free. Of course, the captive becomes despondent in spite of the attention and loving care Mole gives it, and after an outing with Grandad, the youngster frees the bird. The message of making others happy through a selfless act and the true meaning of love comes across gently, and responsibility in dealing with wild animals is clearly presented. The endearing characters have both authenticity and appeal, and the countryside is vast yet delicately and precisely drawn. The home is cozy and warm in contrast to the hillside with its wild freedom and the glory of the forest. A lovely book that's easy enough for beginning readers.
Marlene Gawron, Orange County Library, Orlando, FL
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Great book.
A beautiful, touching, honest book with a great lesson.

beautiful story about love
Mole finds a baby bird and wants to keep it as a pet. He loves his bird so much but realizes, with the help of Granddad Mole, that the bird is meant to fly.

The lesson of loving and letting go is a special one in this book.

First Graders Recommend
First grade students complimented the charming watercolor illustrations, THEN noted that this story is both happy and sad. When Mole finds an abandoned baby bird, he takes it home. He builds a nest for his new charge, finds it food, and learns how to feed it. When the bird flutters its wings to fly, Mole builds a cage. Thankfully, grandfather arrives just in time and helps Mole learn the lesson of love and loss. First graders waited with bated breath for the story's conclusion. Would Mole set the baby bird free?