Product Description

Longing for adventure, Jack the blackbird decides one day to venture outfrom his forest home to seek the excitement of the sea. There he encounters adashing seagull named Jim, who welcomes Jack into his life and shows him thewonders of his seaside village. Unfortunately, the other (white) gulls aren't sohospitable. " Who's that funny bird," old Captain Seagull asks. In spite of Jim'sefforts to defend his friend, the villagers can't seem to get beyond Jack'sdifferences. Until, that is, they learn that he has a skill none of them do. Jack's ability to read funny stories from an old washed-up box of books wins thefriendship of the crusty gulls, and interspecies harmony abounds at last. Though the story has an innocent sweetness to it and the plot line is pleasantlymeandering, the denouement seems forced as lessons about the importance oftolerance and the value of literacy are blurred. No question, the book's shiningglory is in its illustrations. Kitty Crowther's ink and watercolor pictures arequirky and appealing, with the seagulls dressed in jaunty stripes and Jack theblackbird in a handsome red shirt. The seagulls in the village have a mean,quarrelsome look about them, while Jack's and Jim's open expressions reflecttheir unbiased hearts. (Ages 4 to 7) --Emilie Coulter

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1483898 in Books
• Published on: 2000-09-15
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 32 pages

From Amazon.com
Longing for adventure, Jack the blackbird decides one day to venture out from his forest home to seek the excitement of the sea. There he encounters a dashing seagull named Jim, who welcomes Jack into his life and shows him the wonders of his seaside village. Unfortunately, the other (white) gulls aren't so hospitable. "Who's that funny bird," old Captain Seagull asks. In spite of Jim's efforts to defend his friend, the villagers can't seem to get beyond Jack's differences. Until, that is, they learn that he has a skill none of them do. Jack's ability to read funny stories from an old washed-up box of books wins the friendship of the crusty gulls, and interspecies harmony abounds at last.

Though the story has an innocent sweetness to it and the plot line is pleasantly meandering, the denouement seems forced as lessons about the importance of tolerance and the value of literacy are blurred. No question, the book's shining glory is in its illustrations. Kitty Crowther's ink and watercolor pictures are quirky and appealing, with the seagulls dressed in jaunty stripes and Jack the blackbird in a handsome red shirt. The seagulls in the village have a mean, quarrelsome look about them, while Jack's and Jim's open expressions reflect their unbiased hearts. (Ages 4 to 7) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly
Diversity looms large in this understated, provocative look at the friendship between a blackbird and a seagull. Jack, a forest bird with dark feathers and a bright-red T-shirt, yearns to explore the ocean. He ventures to a pebbly beach where he meets Jim, a white-feathered bird wearing a sailor's blue-and-white stripes. Jim invites Jack home to his port, but Jack grows uncomfortable at the other gulls' stares. " 'It must be the first time they've ever seen a blackbird,' said Jim. 'I guess they're curious about you.' " In fact, the gulls dislike Jack for reasons they don't quite articulate ("Who's that funny bird?" asks one). Jack endures their scowls and upturned beaks out of loyalty to his friend, and ultimately gains acceptance by demonstrating a skill the gulls lack: an ability to read. Although sensitive to Jack and Jim's dilemma, Belgian author Crowther doesn't cover all the bases. When Jim visits Jack's forest home, no blackbirds appear to welcome (or reject) him. Nevertheless, Crowther's childlike ink-and-watercolor sketchesApresented as six-to-a-spread miniatures and full-page illustrationsApowerfully convey the volatile situation and wordlessly show a child-seagull learning from the loaded interactions. This gentle, allusive tale might be a parable about race, immigration, friendship or romance, and that rich ambiguity is its strongest suit. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

A Charming Tale of Acceptance
Jack and Jim charmingly tells the story of Jack, a blackbird, who comes to befriend a seagull named Jim. They meet on the beach (Fire Island?) and spend the night together, talking. The next morning, Jim takes Jack to his hometown, where Jim shows Jack the sights with his arm around his shoulder. After an exhasuting day, they spend the night together again. The next day, Jim's seagull friends reject Jack because he looks so different. Jack is thrilled when Jim tells him that if his neighbors can't accept Jack, then he won't be friends with them anymore. Later, Jack winds up winning Jim's friends over, and the formerly-nasty seagulls come to accept and value Jack. This is a sweet book about learning to respect diversity and to follow your heart. When I read the book to my three year old, he asked "Are they (Jack and Jim) partners?" Improbably, yes.

Excellent children's book!
This book has become one of my daughter's favorite books! It's illustrations, along with the message keep her attention. The story is about two friends who experience uncomfortable feelings from a seagull colony because one (Jack) is a black bird and the other (Jim) is a seagull. I picked this up from the local library, but will purchase it for my daughter's permanent collection.