Bird Boy (An Inclusive Children's Book)

Illustrated by Shahrzad Maydani
Take flight in this heartwarming story about a boy who learns to be true to himself at school while following his love of nature.

Nico was new, and nervous about going to school. Everyone knew what to do and where to go, but Nico felt a little lost.

So, he did what he loved to do:
Watched the insects
Sat in the grass
And most importantly... befriended the birds.

Before he knew it, Nico was known as BIRD BOY. But Nico didn't mind. Soon, he made one friend, then two, as the other kids learned to appreciate Nico for who he was. Before long, Nico learned he could be completely, delighfully, himself. This dreamy story will encourage all readers to express who they are unapologetically.
© David Rozenblyum
Matthew Burgess is a poet, educator, and the author of many picture books including Words With Wings and Magic Things, As Edward Imagined: A Story of Edward Gorey in Three Acts, Bird Boy, and The Bear and The Moon. His books have garnered starred reviews, a Eureka! Gold Award for Excellence in Nonfiction and spots on best-of lists from the New York Public Library, Chicago Public Library, Boston Globe, Washington Post, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist and Amazon. A associate professor of literature and creative writing at Brooklyn College, Matthew has been a poet-in-residence in New York City public schools and currently serves as senior editor of Teachers & Writers Magazine. View titles by Matthew Burgess
Shahrzad Maydani is an award-winning illustrator of Iranian English descent. Her debut children’s book, Poetree, written by Shauna LaVoy Reynolds, received the Crystal Kite Award and was selected for the Spring 2019 Kids Indie Next List. Her following book, Bird Boy, written by Matthew Burgess, was a Junior Library Guild selection; and Francis Discovers Possible, written by Ashlee Latimer, was named one of the Best Children's Books of the Year by Banks Street College of Education. View titles by Shahrzad Maydani
"Nico’s vulnerability and his calm self-confidence are a heady, relatable, contradictory combination of qualities that we all possess but don’t often recognize. This is a powerful and effective message, and readers are in for a treat.” —Booklist, starred review

About

Take flight in this heartwarming story about a boy who learns to be true to himself at school while following his love of nature.

Nico was new, and nervous about going to school. Everyone knew what to do and where to go, but Nico felt a little lost.

So, he did what he loved to do:
Watched the insects
Sat in the grass
And most importantly... befriended the birds.

Before he knew it, Nico was known as BIRD BOY. But Nico didn't mind. Soon, he made one friend, then two, as the other kids learned to appreciate Nico for who he was. Before long, Nico learned he could be completely, delighfully, himself. This dreamy story will encourage all readers to express who they are unapologetically.

Author

© David Rozenblyum
Matthew Burgess is a poet, educator, and the author of many picture books including Words With Wings and Magic Things, As Edward Imagined: A Story of Edward Gorey in Three Acts, Bird Boy, and The Bear and The Moon. His books have garnered starred reviews, a Eureka! Gold Award for Excellence in Nonfiction and spots on best-of lists from the New York Public Library, Chicago Public Library, Boston Globe, Washington Post, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist and Amazon. A associate professor of literature and creative writing at Brooklyn College, Matthew has been a poet-in-residence in New York City public schools and currently serves as senior editor of Teachers & Writers Magazine. View titles by Matthew Burgess
Shahrzad Maydani is an award-winning illustrator of Iranian English descent. Her debut children’s book, Poetree, written by Shauna LaVoy Reynolds, received the Crystal Kite Award and was selected for the Spring 2019 Kids Indie Next List. Her following book, Bird Boy, written by Matthew Burgess, was a Junior Library Guild selection; and Francis Discovers Possible, written by Ashlee Latimer, was named one of the Best Children's Books of the Year by Banks Street College of Education. View titles by Shahrzad Maydani

Praise

"Nico’s vulnerability and his calm self-confidence are a heady, relatable, contradictory combination of qualities that we all possess but don’t often recognize. This is a powerful and effective message, and readers are in for a treat.” —Booklist, starred review

Reading with Purpose Summit Event

On Monday, June 10th, Penguin Random House Education and DK Learning co-hosted a Reading with Purpose Summit Event in collaboration with Molly Ness, PhD. The event took place at Penguin Random House’s NYC headquarters and included sessions featuring leading education experts and a lunchtime author panel. The in-person professional learning event was built to show

Read more

2024 Elementary School Collection

The Penguin Random House Education Elementary School Collection features outstanding fiction, nonfiction, and picture books from Penguin Young Reader’s, Random House Children’s, DK, and Grupo Editorial, as well as children’s publishers distributed by Penguin Random House. Explore online or download this valuable resource to discover great books in specific topic areas such as: Leveled Readers,

Read more

DK Learning Phonic Books Sampler Request

Thank you for your interest in DK Learning | Phonic Books. To download the DK Learning | Phonic Books sampler with four complete readers, please click here and complete the form. Once your information is successfully submitted, a link to download the sampler will be provided on the confirmation screen.   Click here to learn

Read more

PRH Education Translanguaging Collections

Translanguaging is a communicative practice of bilinguals and multilinguals, that is, it is a practice whereby bilinguals and multilinguals use their entire linguistic repertoire to communicate and make meaning (García, 2009; García, Ibarra Johnson, & Seltzer, 2017)   It is through that lens that we have partnered with teacher educators and bilingual education experts, Drs.

Read more