Yellow Bird has a button that he thinks does nothing, but when he shows his friends Red Bird and Blue Bird, they are amazed at how the button is constantly doing something --- making their friends in turn surprised, sad, happy, mad, funny, etc.

This was a fun read about being creative and thinking outside the box. Yellow Bird sees nothing while his friends see a universe of possibilities. It is a subtle lesson in being happy with whatever you have, as the friends soon rejoice in 'doing nothing.'

Of course, on the flip side, the lack of creativity in naming the characters "Yellow Bird" et al. is there, but I suppose it goes with the simplicity of the tale. The illustrations are cartoony, but fitting with the story and manage to express a range of motion and feelings.

The language is fairly simple for beginning readers, yet the book manages to feel like an actual story and not a basic vocabulary primer. Overall, this is a fun read for youngsters that is a good addition to a classroom or personal library. ( )

I've been following the new Elephant and Piggie Like Reading series with interest. I had reservations about The Cookie Fiasco, but thoroughly approved of We are growing! Now Charise Mericle Harper joins the crowd of Elephant and Piggie-inspired readers.

A lot of people have hailed this as a sly nod to the fidget-spinner craze (now over, at least in my town). Yellow Bird has something cool. It is a button! A red button! What does it do? Nothing! Blue Bird presses the button and it does...nothing. Red Bird presses the button and it does...nothing. But does the button really do nothing? Blue Bird has some thoughts about that. Maybe the button really can do something - asides from give everyone a good laugh!

Harper's bright, cheerful colors and playful shapes are a good match for an easy reader. The vocabulary is simple and bold, white text against colored speech balloons. The art is simple but humorous and doesn't require too much combined effort from early readers to follow while they decode the words.

Verdict: While the fidget-spinner craze is over, the love for Elephant and Piggie continues and this is sure to be a popular addition to the new series.

ISBN: 9781484726464; Published 2017 by Disney-Hyperion; Purchased for the library

Yellow bird is very excited to have a button that does nothing. But the button surprises Red Bird, and "surprise is not nothing." The three birds swing through several emotions before going off to play.
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Re-read October 2021 ( )