One Little Bird

One little bird changes the world for everyone in this environmentally themed picture book, proving that no matter how small and powerless you are or feel, you can make a difference by taking a stand. Rosa the robin is happy in her tree top nest, until a man cuts down the tree – the shadow it casts is no good for his lettuce crop. Furious, Rosa takes his hat and makes a new home from it on top of his roof. News of her action spreads through the animal world (‘swept along streams, flashed through forests and sailed over oceans’). Soon other animals, similarly forced out of their homes, are following Rosa’s lead and moving into people’s houses. We see sloths on sofas, lions in laundry baskets and even lemurs in loos. As tensions rise, Rosa swoops down to mediate; now the humans understand how the animals feel, and things change as a result.

Rosa puts a friendly face to an important issue. The book skilfully explains one of the major problems facing the world in a way that young children can understand, while offering home and a positive message about joint action. Helen Shoesmith’s illustrations are very appealing and readers will enjoy spotting all the birds, animals and minibeasts they contain. A final page of text contains suggestions for things children can do right now to improve their own local environment for wildlife.

Read a Q&A interview with Sheryl Webster.