North, South, East, West

From Margaret Wise Brown, the bestselling author of classics like Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny, comes a never-before-published story about a little bird's first journey, brought to life by Geisel Award-winning illustrator Greg Pizzoli.

It's time for a little bird to fly away

to the north, the south, the east, and the west.

Which direction will she like best

Author Notes

Margaret Wise Brown was born on May 23, 1910 in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, New York, to Robert Brown, a Vice President at American Manufacturing Company and Maud Brown, a housewife. She attended school in Lausanne, Switzerland for three years, before attending Dana Hall in Wellesley, Massachusetts for two years. In 1928, she began taking classes at Hollis College in Virginia.

In 1935, Brown began working at the Bank Street Cooperative School for student teachers. Two years later, her writing career took off with the publication of "When the Wind Blows." Over the course of fourteen years, Brown wrote over one hundred picture books for children. Some of her best known titles include Goodnight Moon, Big Red Barn and Runaway Bunny.

Margaret Wise Brown died on November 13, 1952 of an embolism following an operation in Nice, France.

(Bowker Author Biography)

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

PreS-Gr 1-As she prepares to leave the nest, a little bird asks her mother which direction is best. Receiving no answer, she travels to the snowy North, where it is too cold, and the tropical South, where it is too hot to build a nest. As she gazes toward the sea on the West's rocky shore, she realizes how much she longs for the familiar sycamore tree in the "wild green forest" of the East. There she hatches her own chicks, who pose the same question she asked her own mother. Pizzoli's illustrations create a sense of movement as the small bird flies from one location to another. Well-designed graphics juxtapose symbols of various landscapes that represent possible choices. Yet the cozy nest, leafy trees, and familiar flowers hold the strongest appeal. VERDICT Interesting graphic design and attractive illustrations merit some consideration for this low-key ramble, but the book is probably an optional purchase for most collections.-Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University Library, Mankato © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publisher's Weekly Review

This poetic tale from the author of Goodnight Moon is no less fresh for having lain unpublished for so long. A mother bird prepares her nestling to fly away to a home of her own, teaching her "to fly above and below the storms,/ and to glide on the strength of the wind." The young bird wonders, "When I fly away, which is best?/ North, South, East, or West?" Pizzoli (Good Night Owl) uses friendly paint-box hues for his plump birds and forest trees, superimposing simple, fuzzy-edged shapes like layers of tissue paper. The young bird's light blue wings, where they overlie her red body, turn dusky lilac; leaves turn darker green. The bird's search takes her to an icy blue North (too cold), a lush South (too hot) and a sunny West, "but the East was home," and when she returns to build a nest there, her life comes full circle as her nestlings repeat her words. Exploring both the urge to explore and the desire for the familiar, Brown's story speaks directly to longings at the core of childhood. Ages 4-8. Illustrator's agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Available:*

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

Publisher's Weekly Review