Friends of a Feather: One of Life's Little Fables by Bill Cosby, Erika Cosby (Illustrator), Erika Cosby (Illustrator)

From Barnes & Noble

The Barnes & Noble Review
Bill Cosby, author and comedian, teams up with illustrator Erika Cosby for a magical fable about friendship and staying true to yourself.

Three fanciful, stunt-performing birds -- Slipper, Feathers, and Hog -- are the starring attraction at Beach by the Rock. Because Feather looks "as if rainbow streams of light dance behind him" and has an amazing ability to catch fish, Slipper and Hog don't often get the spotlight with the crowds. Yet Hog "is the most daring" bird despite his unhandsome appearance. But when he tries to show off a bit too much, an injury leads to a serious discussion between him and Feathers about being friends instead of competitors: "'When we fly, we fly with each other. When we laugh, we laugh with each other. Those people don't know how to fly. They don't know our laugh.'"

With Erika Cosby's bold, multi-leveled illustrations to accompany him, Bill Cosby delivers a well-told, sensitive, and meaningful fable that will stick with readers. The author is a pro at speaking intelligently to young audiences without mincing words or getting preachy, giving kids -- along with teachers and parents looking for a springboard for discussions -- sage wisdom for reflecting on their own friendships. Matt Warner

From the Publisher

Meet Slipper, Feathers, and Hog. Three of the rarest birds ever known to humankind.

Now people say birds of a feather tend to flock together, but not on the Beach by the Rock. That's where these three unique friends meet for the first time, performing risky feats for one another and then later for the hundreds of folks who gather to watch.

But when the stunts of the most gifted and eager-to-please bird are overshadowed by the sheer beauty of his best friend, an attempt to borrow back the limelight nearly ends in disaster. Why do these birds stunt fly at all? What do they expect from the skies, one another, and the crowds below? And just what are the people on the beach looking for from them?

It takes a flight of imagination, the courage to be oneself, and the support of good friends to find out.

Publishers Weekly

Despite its worthy messages and its author's track record as an entertainer, this volume is a disappointment. The tale describes a flock of birds whose stunt-flying attracts repeat audiences of humans. The narrator, Slippers, says he used to be "the bird. I mean The Bird." Then another bird, Feathers, gained the spotlight with his large wingspan and his extraordinary plumage. Five spreads with lengthy text describe Feather's beauty and his flying feats before Slippers introduces the main character, a plain-looking "dude" named Hog who takes huge risks in a fruitless pursuit of the crowd's adulation. The moral, to some extent obscured by the garrulous delivery, touts the importance of doing things for their own sake and not to impress others. The illustrator, Bill Cosby's daughter, renders props and characters in a straightforward, frontal style, and mounts them atop abstractly patterned backgrounds in the three-quarter-spread illustrations; the hand-lettered text floats atop crumpled colored-paper fields in the remaining quarter. The dissonant combination of elements and styles exacerbates the story's twisty development. With its copious digressions, folksy vocabulary and exaggerations, the text comes across as a transcription of oral storytelling; what might work in a live performance can seem coy on the page. Ages 4-up. (May) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Meredith Kiger - Children's Literature

Inspired by a visit to the Island of Guana, the author, a noted comedian, actor and educator, tells the story of Slipper, a seabird who ruled on a rock near the island. Although Slipper was something special, people came from miles around to see another bird, Feathers. Feathers was unusual because of his coloring and his size. Folks loved watching Feathers dive, and swoop and gather fish from the ocean. Another Pelican-like bird named Hog, liked to challenge Feathers in his daring feats, but the people just didn't seem to notice the plain-colored bird. Feathers warned Hog to be careful as he performed his daring acts to get peoples' attention. One day when Hog was flying daringly too close to the rock, the wind blew him into it. Hog injured his wing and had to be rescued by Feathers. Feathers tried to straighten Hog's wing but Hog was afraid. Feathers assures him that he cares about him and that he shouldn't perform just to entertain others. They promise to be good friends and look out for each other. Later, Hog tries some daring feats just to tease Feathers, but reassures that he has learned his lesson about showing off to impress others. The story seems a bit wordy and long for its intended audience and could have ended when Feathers and Hog agree to be friends forever. The watercolor and cutout illustrations, while colorful, seem stilted and lifeless in this story about birds in flight. 2003, HarperCollins,

Library Journal

A little bird learns some great flying stunts -- and how to overcome envy. Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information.

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