Through the site that I get most of my online readers, I found several older titles. And by older I mean as far back as even 2002. The publisher was reissuing a few things I was assuming, but that is always fun as you never know what you will find. One of those books, that I almost did not read, was Bird by Kristin Rosetta Elliott Hood and illustrated by Shadra Strickland.
This was one from 2017. This book was at first something that seemed familiar and done over and over. However, I assumed it was more cutting edge at the time. We have a city child (nicknamed Bird by his beloved grandfather), who is dealing with the death of his grandfather. Then we hear the line about Marcus, his big brother, who used to take care of him like granddad did. But he cannot now (we’ll learn why in a few pages). Luckily for Bird he has Uncle Son, a friend of Granddads, when not only the grandfather passed, but Marcus is unable to take care of even himself, let alone do his “big brother duties”.
You see, this beautifully illustrated, mature, sad, amazing story is about how Bird must learn to live without the two people he loves the most. His grandfather who died, most likely of a broken heart after Marcus’ drug addiction takes the ultimate ending. This theme might be a bit limited, but with current events, it probably is a lot more relevant that I realize.
But I want to end on a positive note. The illustrations of Strickland drew me in. They might mostly be gray, blue-gray and softer tones, but it is never dark or muted. When there is color, even when it is lighter, this contrast makes it pop even more. It is busy and crowded but also wonderfully open. These are not just illustrations but Art you could frame. They take serious issues and keep them lighter, without compromising the integrity.
