Ten Birds

By Cybèle Young

A clever counting book and fable unlike any other and winner of the 2011 Governor General's Award for Illustration.

Ten birds are trying to figure out how to get to the other side of the river. The bird they call “Brilliant” devises a pair of stilts. The bird they call “Highly Satisfactory” engineers a raft. One by one, nine resourceful birds make the crossing until a single bird is left behind – the one they call “Needs Improvement.” This bird’s solution proves surprising – and absurdly simple.

More than a counting book, Ten Birds is a witty story that highlights ingenuity, common sense and the inadequacies of labels. Cybèle Young’s intricate chiaroscuro pen-and-ink drawings depict a rich alternative world that both children and adults will marvel over.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kids Can Press
• Release date: May 15, 2012
• ISBN: 9781554539246

Book preview

Reviews for Ten Birds

[huertaen · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is a counting book. It was fashioned with pen and ink on paper. It tells the crossing of a river by 10 different birds. It's elegant and creative. The birds all have/create different contraptions to assist them in crossing the river as the book counts down from 10 to 0. It is a concept book and can be used in the classroom as such. But it's really an early beginning reader book and could be utilized more at home with younger children.

[mariekagreene · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The language is sparse, leaving much of this simple yet creative counting story to be told by it's wonderful illustrations. The ending, with the least "smart" bird simple walking across the bridge, leaves one to ask if maybe Young is making a commentary about common sense "smarts."

[jill.haner · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Another book my nieces and I loved. I read the book first, and was struck by the contraptions the "smart" birds made, and the last one "under achiever" was the one who took the easiest and to my mind smartest route. So when I read it with my nieces, I started by asking how the birds could get across the river. The responded as one logically would, walk or fly. So each time the birds made something ridiculously complicated to cross the river we expressed our disbelief at their choice. Then when the last bird crosses we applauded him. Then became incredulous when the last picture shows them FLYING AWAY. It was a lot of fun. The art work is amazingly detailed. It was great in black and white, I didn't feel like I needed the color. It would take away from the concept that you don't need to go crazy to do something simple.

[saritaince · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Captivating and rich art work done in black pen and ink on white. A powerful message is delivered in a whimsical tale that delights young and old. Not only a counting book, but also inventive in its illustrations and themes.

[sullywriter_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Clever concept book with beautiful pen and ink illustrations.

[angie7patterson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Young, Cybele. Ten Birds. Toronto: Kids Can Press, 2011Characters: Ten birdsSetting: A river with a bridgeTheme: concept book, counting, birds, problem solvingGenre: children’s fiction, picturebookGolden Quote: Not applicableSummary: Ten birds are trying to figure out how to get to the other side of the river. Will the simplest solution be the best?Audience: children ages 5-10Curriculum ties: math-number sense and counting; science and technology- inventions, structures, and mechanismsAwards: Governor General’s Award for Illustration, 2011Personal response: This is not your average counting book! What I found most intriguing is there no indication it is a counting book until you try to orient yourself to the initial structure of the story. The first thing the reader sees is a doubled paged illustration of ten birds approaching some really strange looking contraptions near a bridge. On the next page (also a two paged picture) each bird is gravitating toward the different apparatuses. At this point, the story is wordless, but then, on the following page, the reader is presented with one simple sentence indicating the problem- “TEN birds were trying to figure out how to get to the other side of the river.” One by one each bird (who are given such names as “Brilliant”, “Quite Advanced”, and “Magnificent”) use the materials to build odd yet functional structures to get them to the other side; each time leaving behind the initial group to start a new one on the other side in a counting down fashion. When we are finally introduced to the tenth bird, irony named “Needs Improvement”, the solution is so ridiculously simple that it creates an element of surprise to the story. This book goes beyond the basics of counting and into realm of ingenuity and engineering as well. The black and white illustrations are rendered in pen and ink; giving it a blueprint kind of aesthetic. Ten Birds is absolutely marvelous on so many levels!

[paulavev · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In this unconventional twist on the traditional book of numerals, children count down as ten birds seek inventive ways of crossing a river that lies in their path. A repetitive, rhythmic melody emerges in the minimal text through a distinct pattern of sentence length and construction, where each two-lined segment begins and ends in the same fashion. The recurrent structure includes capitalized focal numbers and descriptive words that convey movement or sound, thereby enhancing the literary quality. Intricate pen and ink drawings bring to life the somewhat somber scenes that depict starling-like blackbirds and the engineering marvels they create in order to accomplish their goal. Each of the ten birds, portrayed with descriptive names like Brilliant, Quite Advanced, and Shows Great Promise, take their turn employing ingenuity and mechanism. Though illustrated with only black and white hues, Young masterfully integrates subtle yet finite detail through artful lines, shading, and depth. A hidden dimension of significance is revealed as readers discover the last remaining bird, Needs Improvement, who succeeds in realizing the same ambition as all his predecessors despite applying the simplest of solutions. For both young and old readers, this picture book expresses the proverbially values of individuality, self-awareness, and an open mind.