I Really Want a Bigger Piece: A Really Bird Story

(Hardback)

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Description

Age range 5 to 7

Meet Really Bird, a small bird who lives in a large city park with his friends Cat, Pup, Mouse, and Rabbit. In each story, Really Bird finds himself really wanting something - to be bigger, to have his fair share, or to be the leader - to be really silly, funny, strong, cool, happy, or brave. And when he feels something, he really feels it.

Each story is an entertaining, character-driven narrative based on relatable social/emotional themes, delivered with surprise twists, high drama, and comic timing. Along the way, lessons are learned about qualities such as teamwork and compassion. The emphasis is on character growth and development through creative problem-solving. Friendship and emotional engagement are at the heart of every story.

In I Really Want a Bigger Piece, Really Bird is offered the smallest piece of blueberry pie by his bigger best friends, Cat and Pup. He is really hungry and wants a bigger piece! Really Bird and his pals manage to navigate the oh-so-familiar desire for MORE.

Reviews

"This story shows how Really Bird and his friends handle conflict and use problem-solving to resolve their issue in a positive and fair manner. The text and illustrations align beautifully to showcase the animated interaction of the friends." -School Library Journal

"Brightly colored speech bubbles and cartoon illustrations with minimal details against a neutral background make reading both the text and illustrations easy for new readers. . . The true nature of these three characters shine as they problem-solve and share fairly." Kirkus Reviews

"Really's yearning to be first should resonate . . . and Foster's stripped-down but emotionally operatic cartooning tempers with just the right amount of goofiness." Publishers WeeklyofI Really Want to Be First!

"Fans ofElephant and Piggiewill REALLY love Ziefert's and Foster's new early comic series. Appearing in speech bubbles, Ziefert'slively textis all dialogue making the story easy for kids to access. Foster'sbright and energetic illustrationsfill the pages and will captivate kids. As a reading specialist, I love that the stores teach and reinforce positive virtues such as friendship, teamwork, sharing, and kindness." Beagles and Books

"Perfect for classroom or daycare reading and learning." Sincerely Stacie

"This series is so well done!The author uses Really Bird and his friends to show real conflicts children have on a day to day basis and how this group of pals works through these situations. Both books present so many wonderful character traits like: compassion, kindness, teamwork etc.As a school counselor,I love the emphasis on being fair and working together towards a solution that will benefit all.I also really value the discussion topics and questions in the back-matter that that can help parents navigate conversations with their children!" BooksGrowMinds

Author Bio

Harriet Ziefert grew up in New Jersey, where she attended the local schools. She graduated from Smith College, then received a Master's degree in Education from New York University,where shewas among the founding pioneers in the development and teaching of what today is known as the Common Core Curriculum. Since then, she has written more than 200 books.

Ziefert's picture bookA New Coat for Anna, illustrated by Anita Lobel, was chosen as one of 10 books to be read aloud by former First Lady Barbara Bush as part of a program promoting reading. In addition to her prolific picture-book writing, Ziefert has authored many innovative easy-to-read books, including Sleepy Dog, which has sold more than two million copies. Ziefert's relationship with illustrator Simms Taback yielded over a dozen books that have become modern classics.

As the publisher of Blue Apple Books, Ziefert launched the award-winning Jump-Into-Chapters series, which includes Scribbles and Ink, now a WGBH televised series. As a packager, Ziefert delivered the Caldecott honor-winning There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. The mother of two and grandmother of five, Ziefert lives in the Berkshires of Massachusetts.

Travis Foster, a graduate of the Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida, has been illustrating for more than 25 years. Kirkus Reviews praised his work in What's New at the Zoo as "ingenious illustrations [that] feature antic cartoonish animals in an explosion of colors ...." His editorial and advertising clients include Target, Disney, Forbes,Internet Week,Aetna,The Wall Street Journal,andThe Washington Post.Foster lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with his wife and four children.