Igor, the Bird Who Couldn't Sing.Igor, the Bird Who Couldn't Sing, by Satoshi Kitamura. Farrar, Straus and Giroux (19 Union Square W., New Fork, NY 10003), 2005. 40 pp. $i6. As a musician, teacher, a teacher of teachers and a mother of two girls, ages 5 and 2, I found this delightful children's book resonating res·o·nate v. res·o·nat·ed, res·o·nat·ing, res·o·nates v.intr. 1. To exhibit or produce resonance or resonant effects. 2. with me on many levels. In our family, Satoshi Kitamura's work already is beloved. Titles such as Cat is Thirst thirst, sensation indicating the body's need for water. Dry or salty food and dry, dusty air may induce such a sensation by depleting moisture in the mucous membranes of the mouth and throat. , Dog is Hungry, and Duck is Dirty, were among the first board books that my children, as toddlers, carried around with them, gnawed on and forced my husband and me to read to them over and over and over again. My 5-year-old giggled aloud at the silly premise of a tone-deaf and rhythmically rhyth·mic also rhyth·mi·cal adj. Of, relating to, or having rhythm; recurring with measured regularity. rhyth  mi·cal·ly adv. challenged bird, Igor, who sets out in search of music lessons. His teacher, Madam Goose, does her very best, but concedes defeat after trying everything in her power to help Igor. Everywhere Igor turns, he is surrounded sur·round tr.v. sur·round·ed, sur·round·ing, sur·rounds 1. To extend on all sides of simultaneously; encircle. 2. To enclose or confine on all sides so as to bar escape or outside communication. n. by music in the air. His heart is broken as he would like nothing better than to join his friends in making music, but nobody will let him. In the end, he discovers a wide-open desolate space, and because he can't help himself, he begins to sing. "Igor sang and sang. And as he sang, he felt his music ripple and jolt the evening air. He felt happy. He felt free." Now THAT is a message to inspire us all! Igor is for slightly older children, but my 2-year-old also enjoyed looking at the whimsical whim·si·cal adj. 1. Determined by, arising from, or marked by whim or caprice. See Synonyms at arbitrary. 2. Erratic in behavior or degree of unpredictability: a whimsical personality. and hilarious pictures throughout the book. Wonderful illustrations of jamming jazz-cats, rocking-out rottweliers, a symphony of sheep and much more, are full of character and humor humor, according to ancient theory, any of four bodily fluids that determined man's health and temperament. Hippocrates postulated that an imbalance among the humors (blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile) resulted in pain and disease, and that good health was . This has become our household's new favorite book and while we will have to read this over and over and over again, I think my husband and I will enjoy it, at least the first hundred times or so. Reviewed by Midori Koga, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. |
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