TANGLEBIRD

Detailed woodcuts colored in soft pastels add visual interest to this didactic story. All the birds in the woods make nests as neat as baskets—all except Tanglebird, whose efforts result in a tangled mess. When the other birds ridicule Tanglebird, he flies off to the city where he believes he's found new materials for his nest: yarn (he snarls up a knitter), rubber hoses (he ensnares the park keeper), and kite string (he ensnares himself). A girl named Gina untangles him and takes him home, where he loves the spaghetti and learns to tie knots and bows, do up shoelaces, and weave. Upon his return to the woods, his woven nest is the most beautiful of all. The look of the book is quite striking, with the tangles of twig, wool, hose, and string perfectly traced in the art. The lesson about channeling chaos into creativity may be somewhat muted, but manipulated; children will like Tanglebird's triumph over those who once mocked him. (Picture book. 4-6)