All went well until the bag filled with air.
The bird was stopped. Down it fell.
The bag became its parachute.
Slowly down, down it went, into the water.
While it sat there on the sea, the plastic bag began to sing. Deeper and deeper it sank.
When John and his mother set off for a picnic at Sydney’s Botanic Gardens they pack a picnic in a plastic bag. But, when they sit down to eat, the plastic bag blows away, and, after a group of birds fight over its contents, the bag is caught on one bird as it flies away. Spectators come together to solve the bird’s dilemma and save it from drowning, pulled down by the bag.
A Bag and a Bird is a picture book with a gentle message about the impact of litter on animals, as well as an action-filled story which children will enjoy. The sense of community portrayed in both the text and the comic-style pictures will delight, and defenders of the much-maligned ibis, will be pleased to see that the bird in question is, in fact, an ibis.
With Allen’s whimsical style and a story that is both fun and gently educative, A Bag and a Bird will be popular at school and at home and, set amongst iconic Sydney landmarks, makes a good souvenir or gift.
A Bag and a Bird, by Pamela Allen
Penguin, 2017
ISBN 9780143783909