Nerdy Birdy and his best friend, Vulture, are back in another delightful installment that celebrates the importance of actual friends over virtual buddies in this age of social media.
While Vulture’s favorite pastime continues to be “snacking on dead things,” video-game lover Nerdy Birdy gets caught up in a craze called Tweetster. Soon he’s ignoring Vulture while fawning over his 500 new “friends” which include, Nerdy excitedly shouts, a flamingo, an ostrich and a puffin from Iceland. Bored and ignored Vulture unsuccessfully tries to attract Nerdy’s attention (“Did you realize I can fit your whole body in my beak?”). Finally Vulture gives in and joins Tweetster.
All seems swell until Nerdy Birdy secretly posts an unflattering photo of Vulture, an act of secret-sharing that Vulture finds disloyal and embarrassing. Can this friendship be saved?
Aaron Reynolds turns an all-too-common modern pitfall into a clever story that will make young readers both laugh and think, while Matt Davies’ pen, ink and watercolor illustrations ramp up the humor and charm. Who knew that a vulture of all things could be so darned cute? In Davies’ gifted hands, he’s downright adorable―a hairy, frazzled-looking creature whose long lashes flutter atop expression-filled eyes. The same goes for Nerdy Birdy, whose huge glasses illuminate his animated, impetuous personality.
Even though the target picture book readership is unlikely to be on Twitter or Facebook, Nerdy Birdy Tweets works as a cautionary tale that tackles age-old issues of friendship, loyalty and reconciliation in a way that young readers will adore. Perhaps they can remind their elders about the book’s important message: “Just because you thought it, doesn’t mean you should tweet it.”
