North, south, east, west / by Margaret Wise Brown ; pictures by Greg Pizzoli.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

It's time for a little bird to fly away

to the north, the south, the east, and the west.

Which direction will she like best



In a never-before-published story from beloved children's author Margaret Wise Brown, a little bird's first journey is brought to beautiful life by Geisel Award-winning illustrator Greg Pizzoli.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

This poetic tale from the author of Goodnight Moon is no less fresh for having lain unpublished for so long. A mother bird prepares her nestling to fly away to a home of her own, teaching her "to fly above and below the storms,/ and to glide on the strength of the wind." The young bird wonders, "When I fly away, which is best?/ North, South, East, or West?" Pizzoli (Good Night Owl) uses friendly paint-box hues for his plump birds and forest trees, superimposing simple, fuzzy-edged shapes like layers of tissue paper. The young bird's light blue wings, where they overlie her red body, turn dusky lilac; leaves turn darker green. The bird's search takes her to an icy blue North (too cold), a lush South (too hot) and a sunny West, "but the East was home," and when she returns to build a nest there, her life comes full circle as her nestlings repeat her words. Exploring both the urge to explore and the desire for the familiar, Brown's story speaks directly to longings at the core of childhood. Ages 4-8. Illustrator's agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

School Library Journal Review

PreS-Gr 1-As she prepares to leave the nest, a little bird asks her mother which direction is best. Receiving no answer, she travels to the snowy North, where it is too cold, and the tropical South, where it is too hot to build a nest. As she gazes toward the sea on the West's rocky shore, she realizes how much she longs for the familiar sycamore tree in the "wild green forest" of the East. There she hatches her own chicks, who pose the same question she asked her own mother. Pizzoli's illustrations create a sense of movement as the small bird flies from one location to another. Well-designed graphics juxtapose symbols of various landscapes that represent possible choices. Yet the cozy nest, leafy trees, and familiar flowers hold the strongest appeal. VERDICT Interesting graphic design and attractive illustrations merit some consideration for this low-key ramble, but the book is probably an optional purchase for most collections.-Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University Library, Mankato © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

A compass and a blue egg introduce this simple rhymed story as a young bird asks, When I fly away, which is best, North, South, East, or West? First she goes North, where everything is white (too cold); then South (too hot); then West. The swooping bird compares the four regions as she flits and flutters: She had flown to the North and the South and the West. But the East was home. Pizzoli's clean, crisp lines of digital art are coupled with white space to recreate Brown's lovely, previously unpublished story with new illustrations. Every full-color spread bursts with abundant nature and stark beauty. The bright splashes of vivid greens in the South contrast sharply with the blues and whites of the North and the sandy browns of the West. Activities, such as counting the three crickets in the tall grass and finding the little bird in the sycamore tree silhouetted in the night sky, will delight close observers in this stunning visual homage.--Gepson, Lolly Copyright 2016 Booklist

Horn Book Review

Pizzoli's digital illustrations for this never-before-published text by Margaret Wise Brown follow a little red bird whose mother sings to her about taking flight. She sets out exploring the North, South, and West before she finally returns to the East, because "the East was home." Her travels inspire Pizzoli's depictions of an icy arctic landscape in the North, a lush and densely forested southern clime, and finally the coastal West. The bird's return to the East occasions her meeting with a blue bird who is unmentioned in the text. His pictorial presence helps to then explain the closing scenes in which the red bird sings the song her mother sang to her while she sits on a nest of eggs. And when the three baby birds hatch, they ask their parents, "When we fly away, / which is best, / North, South, East or West?"--which anticipates a closing, wordless image of the fledglings in flight. Pizzoli's style is defined by a bright palette and crisp geometric forms that combine to create a Mid-century modern aesthetic befitting a story written by Brown, the mid-century master of picture-book texts. megan dowd lambert (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Book Review

A previously unpublished story from the author of Goodnight Moon takes flight in this poignant, charming picture book.A little bird readies herself to fly from her nest. From her mother, the little bird learns how to move effortlessly on the wind and avoid storms. In their nest in the sycamore tree, the mother bird sings a song as the little bird asks, When I fly away, which is best, / North, South, East, or West? Soon the little bird is off on her own under the light of the sun. She first flies to the North, where chilly white reigns: much too cold to build a nest. The South, with its jumble of greens and flowers, proves too hot. Beside the sea in the West, the little bird remembers the sycamore tree. Clearly, the East was home. Unfolding at a gentle pace, Browns story ruminates on the idea of leavingand returning tohome with great compassion. Likewise, the author exposes unspoken depths that make up the parent-child bond, offering nuance and complexity in measured words. Full of simple, curved shapes set in evocative alignments, Pizzolis illustrations complement the story well. Theyre mostly unadorned and restrained, underlining the strength of simplicity in jump-starting the imagination. A bittersweet ending makes this homecoming feel altogether real. Equal parts wistful and upliftinga small triumph. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Margaret Wise Brown was born on May 23, 1910 in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, New York, to Robert Brown, a Vice President at American Manufacturing Company and Maud Brown, a housewife. She attended school in Lausanne, Switzerland for three years, before attending Dana Hall in Wellesley, Massachusetts for two years. In 1928, she began taking classes at Hollis College in Virginia.

In 1935, Brown began working at the Bank Street Cooperative School for student teachers. Two years later, her writing career took off with the publication of "When the Wind Blows." Over the course of fourteen years, Brown wrote over one hundred picture books for children. Some of her best known titles include Goodnight Moon, Big Red Barn and Runaway Bunny.

Margaret Wise Brown died on November 13, 1952 of an embolism following an operation in Nice, France.

(Bowker Author Biography)