Sadly, Billy the Bird is no longer in print, but there is a good chance your library will have it since Dick King-Smith, author of Waterhorse and Babe, the Gallant Pig, is well known and prolific, many of his books coming in at under 100 pages. It is such a short and sweet story with a boy as the main character that I will review it anyway. If you can't find this book, please do seek out other Dick King-Smith, all of which involves great animal characters in one way or another.
Mary Bird is eight the summer she discovers her four-year-old brother Billy can fly under the light of a full moon. As Mary says, "he wasn't walking in his sleep, he was floating in it!" After consulting her guinea pig, Mr Keylock, and her cat Lilyleaf, both of whom can talk, Mary figures out when the next full moon will occur and their adventures begin. Billy is mistaken for a UFO and thwarts a cat burglar before a lunar eclipse ends his flying days. The cozy illustrations are a great addition to the story.
If your child likes Billy the Bird, suggest Flat Stanley.
Comments
I LOVE Mayer's Boy, Frog & Dog books! I had one as a kid, the one where they go to the restaurant, and I was SURE that the woman in the restaurant was a drawing of Barbra Streisand!
Check out (if you haven't already) The Salamander Room by Mazer and The Best Pet of All by La Rochelle. Two good picture books with boys!
While it does seem to me that there are more books with human girls than boys, now that I think about it more, my complaint is probably better stated as the striking contrast between the number of books with animal as main characters as opposed to human males as main characters. We love love love our anthropomorphic animal character books, but it would be nice if there were more real human male characters. That is why we loved Beatty's Iggy Peck and David McPhail Edward books etc.
Yes, I don't even have to pull out the "Frog Goes to Dinner" book. I have read it so many times I know the woman you are referring to. The frog jumps into her husband's champagne glass. She does bear a striking resemblance to "Babs". Although the little boy's mother also resembles Babs too.
I am taking notes and will be writing my doctoral dissertation on this any day now...