Max and Bird

Max is a kitten; Bird is a bird. There's a certain order of things that Max can expect –he can chase Bird, can't he? Plus, Bird looks like he'd be a really tasty snack. But Bird can't fly yet, and he asks Max to help him learn – perhaps then they can think about the chasing. Max doesn't know anything about flying, so he and Bird go to the library to find out more.

After reading a lot of very important books, the friends conclude that flying is just a matter of concentrating and flapping. So they flap and flap and flap some more, but nothing happens, until, suddenly, Bird manages to hover for three seconds. Success! But now that Bird can fly, will Max insist on making Bird his tasty snack? Or will friendship save the day?

Ed Vere's delightful stories are always full of pitch-perfect language that is always silly in just the right places. There is also a comfortable sense of warm friendship, which young readers will return to again and again. It's lovely that Max and Bird go to the library to find out about flying, and the theme of perseverance and supporting each other is perfectly expressed.