Total Pageviews

Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Only: The Bird Who Liked Being Alone, written and illustrated by Airlie Anderson. Little, Brown and Company, Hachette. 2024. $23.99 ages 4 and up


"Oh, hello, 
Squawky. 

May I come in? 
I don't feel like 
playing bird ball
with everybody 
else today. 

Well ... 
can you play 
quietly? 

I think so."

There are six birds in a tree, who love to chatter with each other. Only is a bird who watches them from a distance. Only likes to be quiet and to spend time alone. Only loves to read books and write in a journal. The other birds worry about poor Only ... so lonely. They want to help. 

Their noisy, chatty help is exactly what Only does not need. It's far too much. Only makes the decision to build a quiet nest. Finding all the materials needed, the work begins. The other birds cannot imagine it. 

"What's a quiet nest? 

Sounds boring. 

Sounds terrible!

Sounds like Only likes 
being lonely.
"

That is exactly what Only likes. While settled in for a long quiet read, there is a knock at the door. Squawky would like to play. Only agrees to quiet play like reading, painting, listening to music on headsets. When it gets too loud, Only encourages learning to sing quietly. It works beautifully. Singing together is a new experience for Only, and very much appreciated ... sometimes. 

The other birds understand and like to share the quiet nest, on occasion. No one ever has to be lonely, but you can still like being alone. 

No comments:

Post a Comment