This sweet, simple story from Marjorie Newman (The King and the Cuddly) and award-winning Scottish illustrator Patrick Benson (The Sea-Thing Child) somehow avoids cliché while teaching one of life's oldest lessons: if you love something, you really shouldn't hold it prisoner in a tiny, handmade wooden cage.

With spare text, Newman explains how Mole finds a baby bird that has fallen out of its nest, apparently abandoned. ("Mole waited and waited, but no big bird came to help it.") He takes the tiny bird home to keep, despite his parents' warnings: "'It's my pet bird,' said Mole. 'It's not a pet bird. It's a wild bird,' said his mother." Eventually, the baby bird tries to fly, and the earnest, industrious Mole builds a cage (with the bird's help!) to keep him from leaving. ("He put the bird into its new cage. The bird was sad. Mole's mother was sad, too. But Mole kept his bird, because he loved it.") Eventually, it falls to visiting Grandad to gently nudge Mole into doing what he knows he must.

As in The Sea-Thing Child (with Russell Hoban), Benson's understated artwork helps to keep this fairly adult message accessible for wee ones, with thoughtful compositions that carry the meter towards the book's inevitable end. But Benson's most memorable accomplishment is the subtly sad and comic baby bird, who regularly peeks out to look directly at the reader. (Ages 4 to 8) --Paul Hughes


From Publishers Weekly
With just a sentence or two per page, British author Newman conveys to youngest readers the importance of allowing others to be free to be themselves. When young Mole happens upon an abandoned baby bird, he brings the tiny creature home with him. Mole quickly falls into the caretaker role assisted by his kind but realistic mother (It's very, very hard to take care of a baby bird) building the bird a nest and gathering it some food. But as the bird grows healthy and shows signs of wanting to fly, Mole confines his feathered friend to a wooden cage. Eventually, his parents gentle remarks (when Mole calls it his pet bird, each parent in turn replies, It s not a pet bird. It's a wild bird) and a hilltop walk with his grandfather help lead Mole to the conclusion that the baby bird deserves its freedom. With a quietly resonating tone, Newman tackles heart-tugging issues the responsibilities of pet care, the pain of loss, respect for the natural world that many parents will find familiar. Benson's (Owl Babies) serene ink-and-watercolor illustrations capture springtime in the country in all its sunny, leafy-green finery. With cozy accents, a quilt, a china cupboard, a stack of picture books, carefully placed windows he manages to make Mole's underground home equally bright and inviting. And the cast of critters each a skillful cross between realistic and anthropomorphic is sure to charm. Ages 4-8. Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 2-Little Mole finds a baby bird that has fallen out of its nest and, when no help arrives, takes it home. Despite warnings from his mother that the bird might not live, it thrives under Mole's care. Afraid that the bird will fly away, he builds a sturdy cage for it, even though his parents tell him that his pet should be free. Of course, the captive becomes despondent in spite of the attention and loving care Mole gives it, and after an outing with Grandad, the youngster frees the bird. The message of making others happy through a selfless act and the true meaning of love comes across gently, and responsibility in dealing with wild animals is clearly presented. The endearing characters have both authenticity and appeal, and the countryside is vast yet delicately and precisely drawn. The home is cozy and warm in contrast to the hillside with its wild freedom and the glory of the forest. A lovely book that's easy enough for beginning readers.Marlene Gawron, Orange County Library, Orlando, FLCopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Gr. 2-4, younger for reading aloud. When Mole finds a baby bird and brings it home, his parents caution him that "It's not a pet bird. It's a wild bird." But Mole insists that the bird is his pet, and the bird survives and even grows. Mole sees that the bird wants to fly, but he builds a wooden cage to keep it from leaving. Grandad Mole comes, and apprised of the situation, takes Mole for a walk up the highest hill. At this point, Benson's spot illustrations expand to fill the double-page spreads, so that readers will see the birds flying freely, and will not only guess the outcome of the story but also feel how the book should end. In his wisdom, Grandpa has shown Mole what is right and what is natural, but it is Mole who makes the decision to set the bird free. Benson's ink-and-watercolor artwork is equally good at showing the emotions on a tiny bird's face and the expanse of the great world that beckons. Kathy Broderick
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Book Description
A Christopher Award Winner
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
A Book Sense 76 Children's Pick
A Junior Library Guild Selection



Card catalog description
Mole rescues a baby bird, cares for it, and loves it, until the day he realizes it is because he loves it that he must set it free.

ANNOTATION

Mole rescues a baby bird, cares for it, and loves it, until the day he realizes it is because he loves it that he must set it free.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Mole finds and lovingly cares for a wounded baby bird. As the bird recovers, Mole's mother explains that soon the bird will fly. But Mole wants to keep the bird, so he builds it a cage. Then, one beautifully clear day, Grandad takes Mole for a walk to the top of a high hill where Mole can feel the wind whipping around him. "I'm flying!" he says. When Mole returns home, he looks at the caged baby bird, finally understands that birds are meant to fly, and sets his baby bird free.

The extraordinary team of author Marjorie Newman and illustrator Patrick Benson has created a book that speaks to the delicate nature of love and freedom. This is a book for the ages, and one to treasure for a lifetime.

Author Biography: Marjorie Newman began writing stories as early as age seven and has since published about 90 books for children.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

In its new form, Marjorie Newman's Mole and the Baby Bird, illus. by Patrick Benson, a gentle story of a mole and the bird he cares for, is just right for littlest hands. PW wrote, "With a quietly resonating tone, Newman tackles heart-tugging issues-the responsibilities of pet care, the pain of loss, respect for the natural world-that many parents will find familiar." Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

K-Gr 2-Little Mole finds a baby bird that has fallen out of its nest and, when no help arrives, takes it home. Despite warnings from his mother that the bird might not live, it thrives under Mole's care. Afraid that the bird will fly away, he builds a sturdy cage for it, even though his parents tell him that his pet should be free. Of course, the captive becomes despondent in spite of the attention and loving care Mole gives it, and after an outing with Grandad, the youngster frees the bird. The message of making others happy through a selfless act and the true meaning of love comes across gently, and responsibility in dealing with wild animals is clearly presented. The endearing characters have both authenticity and appeal, and the countryside is vast yet delicately and precisely drawn. The home is cozy and warm in contrast to the hillside with its wild freedom and the glory of the forest. A lovely book that's easy enough for beginning readers.-Marlene Gawron, Orange County Library, Orlando, FL Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews