Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Hello, Mr. Dodo!
Picture Book
For ages 4 to 6
Scholastic, 2017 ISBN: 978-1338089394
Martha is “cuckoo” about birds. She loves to feed them and watch them, and she knows the names of many of the species that live in the places around her home. One day she is out with her binoculars when she sees a bird that is completely unfamiliar to her. It is large and has a tiny tail and tiny wings. Though the bird is shy at first, it soon warms to Martha and they become friends.
Eager to find out what the bird is, Martha does some research, and she finds out that her new friend is a dodo, a bird that went extinct many years ago because people hunted them out of existence. Well, clearly the species is not entirely extinct because there is a dodo out there.
Wanting to protect the dodo, Martha keeps his presence a secret, and for the rest of the summer she sneaks off to spend time with the bird. Martha grows very fond of the funny, sweet creature and one day her enthusiasm gets the better of her; she accidentally tells the postman that she is taking the bag of doughnuts that she is holding to her dodo. Horrified by what she has done, Martha races off to tell the dodo that she cannot see it anymore and that it has to hide. She hopes that the postman did not tell anyone about her friend, but he has.
Children and their grownups are going to love this charming story. After all, who can resist a doughnut-loving, extinct, flightless bird? Who can help identifying with a little girl who wants to protect her dodo friend? With delightful illustrations and a perfect ending, this is a book that children will come back to again and again.
