Odd Bird Out

Robert is different from all other ravens. He is a happy bird. But when he laughs and tells jokes, the other birds don’t like it at all. Nor do they like his colorful clothes and they hold their ears when he tries to sing. Unhappy, Robert is forced to leave home. Far away, he sings and dances and tells his terrible jokes, and eventually he finds friends who enjoy him as he is, and even join in. Back home, the black birds discover to their surprise that the world feels a bit empty without Robert. But every now and again, a bird from another place comes to visit, telling stories and terrible jokes, and the black ravens gather and listen.

About the Author :
Helga Bansch was born in Leoben, Austria in 1957. After graduating from the teachers training college in Graz, she moved to the south of Austria to work as a teacher in a primary school until 2003. From 1985 to 1990 she made marionettes for puppet theaters. Since 2003 Helga Bansch has lived in Vienna, working as an artist and running workshops with children. Helga Bansch was born in Leoben, Austria in 1957. After graduating from the teachers training college in Graz, she moved to the south of Austria to work as a teacher in a primary school until 2003. From 1985 to 1990 she made marionettes for puppet theaters. Since 2003 Helga Bansch has lived in Vienna, working as an artist and running workshops with children.

Review :
"Robert comes from a family of ravens; their beaks are big and bulky, their eyes are beady and small, and their clothing is a collection of conservative blacks and grays. Robert, on the other hand, favors tulle, brilliant yellow, and inappropriate dancing partners (a beaver in spotted shorts): 'Didn't he know that he was out of tune... that his jokes were juvenile... that the appropriate, the prescribed, the only possible clothing for a raven, was black?' Bansch's (I Want a Dog!) illustrations have an undeniable gender-bending element—Robert is in dresses and heels much of the time—but the text doesn't take this up specifically, and readers are free to draw their own conclusions. Faced with mockery for his antics and attire, Robert leaves town to seek his fortune, and some time later a fabulous entertainer named Bobby Raver appears to great popular acclaim—but he never reveals his identity. It's an unexpected way to argue for accepting people as they are, but Bobby's decision is his own, and Bansch's sympathies are clear." --Publishers Weekly "Robert isn't your average, somber, all-in-black, know-it-all raven. He's a chirpy, joking, singing, outrageously dressed bird. Despite repeated criticism, he just continues being himself, much to the dismay of his flock. Finally, the other ravens can take it no more, and they tell him to 'Scram! Skedaddle!' Sadly he does just that and flies to a distant tree where he commences to sing himself a lonely song. His song draws birds from all around. Soon a star is born, and Robert takes his act on the road, entertaining birds far and wide. Meanwhile, back at the raven's tree, a bit of regret has set in as things are sober, staid, and boring without Robert. Luckily, concert night brings a new performer, Bobby Raver, who shakes things up and inspires the ravens to be outlandish and have fun. Now if only they could figure out why he looks so familiar. The conversational text is paired with paintings that perfectly capture the raven's nature. Who knew birds could have so many facial expressions and disapproving postures? In his wildly colored outfits and high-heeled shoes, Robert shines amid the status quo, whether he is dancing with a squirrel or telling juvenile jokes in a swimsuit, flippers, goggles, and snorkel. Pair this one with Lynn Munsinger's Tacky the Penguin (1988) and A Porcupine Named Fluffy (1986, both Houghton) for a storytime of odd animals out." --School Library Journal